Lepidotes

***Lepidotes*** (from  _lepidōtós_, 'covered with scales') is an extinct genus of prehistoric ray-finned fish. Fossils have been found in Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks. It is a member of the Lepidotidae and has long been called a wastebasket taxon. It was originally called ***Lepidotus***.

## Description

_Lepidotes_ was 30 cm (12 in) long. It is one example of a fish that didn't have the upper jawbones attached to the jugal bone. Some fish still have this feature, such as carp from the family Cyprinidae. It had a scaly and slightly elongated body. It had shiny scales with just a few punctures. _Lepidotes_ likely ate soft-bodied animals, as shown from stomach contents. It lived in both freshwater lakes and shallow seas.

### Species

Four species are known:

- <abbr>†</abbr>_Lepidotes elvensis_ <small>Blainville, 1818</small>
- <abbr>†</abbr>_Lepidotes gigas_ <small>Agassiz, 1832</small> (type species)
- <abbr>†</abbr>_Lepidotes semiserratus_ <small>Agassiz, 1836</small>
- <abbr>†</abbr>_Lepidotes bülowianus_ <small>Jaekel, 1929</small>

### Synonyms

- _Lepidosaurus_ <small>Meyer, 1833</small>
- _Lepidotus_ <small>(former name)</small>
- _Serobodus_ <small>Münster, 1812</small>
- _Sphaerodus_ <small>Agassiz, 1833</small>
- _Plesiodus_ <small>Wagner, 1863</small>
- _Prolepidotus_ <small>Zeitschr, 1983</small>

### _Lepidotes gigas_

_Lepidotes gigas_ is the type species of this genus. It is known from the Lower Jurassic of Germany.

### _Lepidotes bülowianus_

_Lepidotes bülowianus_ is another species of this genus. It is known from the Lower Jurassic of Germany.

## Reassigned species

_Lepidotes latifrons_ is now a species of _Isanichthys_. Most of the species have been reassigned to _Scheenstia_. As a result, only four species are found in this genus

## Related pages

- Scheenstia

## References

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1. <small>Thies, Detlev; Stevens, Kevin; Stumpf, Sebastian (2021-06-03). "Stomach contents of the Early Jurassic fish † Lepidotes Agassiz, 1832 (Actinopterygii, Lepisosteiformes) and their palaeoecological implications". Historical Biology. 33 (6): 868–879. doi:10.1080/08912963.2019.1665040. ISSN 0891-2963. S2CID 203892069.</small>
1. <small>Cavin, Lionel; Deesri, Uthumporn; Suteethorn, Varavudh (January 2013). "Osteology and relationships of Thaiichthys nov. gen.: a Ginglymodi from the Late Jurassic - Early Cretaceous of Thailand: GINGLYMODI FROM THE MESOZOIC OF THAILAND". Palaeontology. 56 (1): 183–208. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2012.01184.x.</small>