Description: This is a very well-preserved example of a Paleoniscoid fish known as Paramblypterus. The paleoniscoids were the first ray-finned fish, a feature readily seen here. Some 40 or more families appeared during the Carboniferous and Permian Periods. This genus went extinct during the Lower Permian. Notice the details in the rhombic scales and the heterocercal caudal fin. Specimens are no longer being quarried from the region, so acquisition from older collections such as this one are the only way to add a fine example such as this to your collection.