17.25" Mioplosus labracoides | Unrestored Fossil Fish | Wyoming

 

Order Perciformes

• Family Latidae - M. labracoides

M. labracoides specimens:

• are characterized by 2 dorsal fins and a forked tail
• had a long, torpedo-shaped body with streamlined proportions for fast swimming
• 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

 

Mioplosus labracoides was likely an apex or mesopredator in the Fossil Lake ecosystem, preying on smaller fish species such as Knightia and Diplomystus. Unlike more gregarious species, fossil occurrences of Mioplosus are typically isolated rather than in mass mortality layers, suggesting a more solitary lifestyle.