| Popis: |
Hensodon spinosus, a rare and very peculiar pycnodontiform fish from the Upper Cenomanian limestone of the Haqel fossils quarry (Lebanon) is re-described on the basis of four new specimens. It is the only species assigned to the genus. It shares with the family Coccodontidae (sensu Poyato-Ariza & Wenz, 2002) almost all its synapomorphies but is also characterized by several unique autapomorphies. The species exhibits a rounded general shape of the body, an enormous head, an extremely reduced snout with a minute mouth gash, a horny frontal showing modifications that we interpret as dimorphic sexual differences, styliform teeth, a giant occipital process with many spines on its margins and formed by the dermosupraoccipital, the parietal and the supratemporal, a prefrontal, an edentulous, unornamented, elongated rhomboid maxilla, a very massive spiny cleithrum, a big spiny post-coelomic bone, and a few elongated bar scales. All those characters award a unique impressive aspect to the fish. Remains of the original colour pattern add information about the external aspect of this remarkable fish. |
