*SOLD* Fossil Fish Aspiration | Mioplosus labracoides eating Diplomystus | Green River Formation | Wyoming
Mioplosus Specimen approx. size: 13" total approx size with Diplomystus 15.5"
Matrix approx. size: 23" x 25"
Known as an aspiration, this fossil captures a Mioplosus that died trying to swallow its prey whole. The prey fish (Diplomystus) was too large for the Mioplosus to swallow, and it literally choked to death on it. The tail of the prey fish can be seen sticking out of the Mioplosus' mouth. You can also see the body of the prey fish inside of the Mioplosus.
Order Perciformes
- Family Latidae - M. labracoides
M. labracoides specimens:
- are characterized by 2 dorsal fins and a forked tail
- known to reach 20 inches
- juveniles commonly found in mass mortalities and adults found alone, indicating M. labracoides traveled in schools as a juvenile and became solitary as an adult
- juvenile and adult specimens often found preserved with smaller fish in the jaw or stomach
Diplomystus is an extinct genus of freshwater clupeomorph fish distantly related to modern-day extant herrings, alewives, and sardines. The genus was first named and described by Edward Drinker Cope in 1877.
Ray-finned Fish - Diplomystus dentatus
Order Ellimmichthyiformes, Family Paraclupeidae
The last known species of the Ellimmichthyiformes order went extinct sometime in the middle Eocene. D. dentatus is a primitive relative of the modern day herring. The genus Diplomystus is also known from fossil deposits in China.
D. dentatus is the 2nd most common fossil fish found from Fossil Lake. Specimens ranging from embryonic size (about 0.7 inches) to full-grown adults (about 26 inches) are common. Smaller-sized specimens are more commonly found in mid-lake than near-shore deposits. This suggests that D. dentatus spawned in open water.
This species' upturned mouth indicates it fed at the surface of Fossil Lake. D. dentatus specimens are commonly found with other fish stuck in their mouths, including other D. dentatus specimens.