Description: A fine example of the Order Ctenothrissiformes, Family Aulopidae, Pateroperca is thought to have been a fish that lived within the coral reefs of the time. This one is well-centered on its Sublithographic limestone matrix, with the dramatic dorsal, pectoral, and ventral fins in a fine state of preservation. The Ctenothrissiformes are a small order that is thought to have been near to the main evolutionary line that led from the soft-rayed salmoniforms to the spiny-rayed beryciform and perciform fishes that became dominant groups among the higher bony fishes. While there is a repaired matrix crack, it does not involve the fish itself. There is virtually NO restoration, with the rich color to the specimen entirely natural.