Postredectes (meaning "last ichthyodectid") is an extinct genus of ichthyodectid ray-finned fish from the Late Cretaceous Muwaqqar Chalk-Marl Formation of Jordan. The type species is P. harranaensis.[1]

Postredectes
Temporal range: Maastrichtian
~66.5–66.1 Ma
Holotype
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Ichthyodectiformes
Family: Ichthyodectidae
Genus: Postredectes
Kaddumi, 2009
Type species
Postredectes harranaensis
Kaddumi, 2009

Discovery and naming

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The holotype, consisting of the skull, pectoral fins, five cervical vertebrae and several scales,[1] was mined from the chalk deposits at Wadi Harrana, Jordan where a lagerstätte known as the Muwaqqar Chalk-Marl Formation is present.[2]

The specimen was studied by Jordanian palaeontologist Hani Faig Kaddumi, who created the species Postredectes harranaensis for the specimen in 2009.[1]

Description

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The skull of Postredectes was around 17 centimetres (6.7 in) long, suggesting the entire animal reached around 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) long.[1]

Postredectes is characterized by the absence of large premaxillary tusks, and the premaxillary, maxillary and mandibular teeth were sharp and equipped with two keels, and occupied sockets in both the premaxilla and the maxilla. The mandibular teeth were also three times longer than those present in the premaxilla and maxilla.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Hani Faig Kaddumi (2009). "Ichthyodectids of the late Maastrichtian sediments of the Muwaqqar Chalk Marl Formation of Harrana". In Hani Faig Kaddumi (ed.). Fossils of the Harrana Fauna and the Adjacent Areas. pp. 232–239.
  2. ^ Jagt, John W.M.; Jagt-Yazykova, Elena A.; Kaddumi, Hani F.; Lindgren, Johan (2018-10-02). "Ammonite dating of latest Cretaceous mosasaurid reptiles (Squamata, Mosasauroidea) from Jordan—preliminary observations". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 42 (4): 587–596. doi:10.1080/03115518.2017.1308011. ISSN 0311-5518.