Palaeonisciformes

The **Palaeonisciformes** (Palaeoniscida) are an extinct order of early ray-finned fishes. Palaeonisciformes _sensu lato_ first appeared in the fossil record in the Late Silurian and last appeared in the Late Cretaceous. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words παλαιός (_palaiós_, ancient) and ὀνίσκος (_oniskos_, 'cod-fish' or woodlouse), probably pertaining to the organization of the fishes' scales, similar to the exoskeletal plating of woodlice.

## Classification

- **Order** †**Palaeonisciformes** <small>Hay, 1902</small> _sensu stricto_ [Palaeoniscida <small>Moy-Thomas & Miles, 1971</small>]
    - **Family** †**Palaeoniscidae** <small>Vogt, 1852</small>
        - Genus ?†_Agecephalichthys_ <small>Wade, 1935</small>
            - Species †_Agecephalichthys granulatus_ <small>Wade, 1935</small>
        - Genus ?†_Atherstonia_ <small>Woodward, 18989</small> [_Broometta_ <small>Chabakov, 1927</small>]
            - Species †_Atherstonia scutata_ <small>Woodward, 1889</small> [_Atherstonia cairncrossi_ <small>Broom, 1913</small>; _Amblypterus capensis_ <small>Broom, 1913</small>; _Broometta cairncrossi_ <small>Chabakov, 1927</small>]
            - Species †_Atherstonia minor_ <small>Woodward, 1893</small>
        - Genus ?†_Cryphaeiolepis_ <small>Traquair, 1881</small>
            - Species †_Cryphaeiolepis scutata_ <small>Traquair, 1881</small>
        - Genus ?†_Cteniolepidotrichia_ <small>Poplin & Su, 1992</small>
            - Species †_Cteniolepidotrichia turfanensis_ <small>Poplin & Su, 1992</small>
        - Genus †_Dicellopyge_ <small>Brough, 1931</small>
            - Species †_Dicellopyge macrodentata_ <small>Brough, 1931</small>
            - Species †_Dicellopyge lissocephalus_ <small>Brough, 1931</small>
        - Genus ?†_Duwaichthys_ <small>Liu _et al._, 1990</small>
            - Species †_Duwaichthys mirabilis_ <small>Liu _et al._, 1990</small>
        - Genus ?†_Ferganiscus_ <small>Sytchevskaya & Yakolev, 1999</small>
            - Species †_Ferganiscus osteolepis_ <small>Sytchevskaya & Yakolev, 1999</small>
        - Genus †_Gyrolepis_ <small>Agassiz, 1833 non Kade, 1858</small>
            - Species †_G. albertii_ <small>Agassiz, 1833</small>
            - Species †_G. gigantea_ <small>Agassiz, 1833</small>
            - Species †_G. maxima_ <small>Agassiz, 1833</small>
            - Species †_G. quenstedti_ <small>Dames, 1888</small>
            - Species †_G. tenuistriata_ <small>Agassiz, 1833</small>
        - Genus †_Gyrolepidoides_ <small>Cabrera, 1944</small>
            - Species †_G. creyanus_ <small>Schaeffer, 1955</small>
            - Species †_G. cuyanus_ <small>Cabrera, 1944</small>
            - Species †_G. multistriatus_ <small>Rusconi, 1948</small>
        - Genus ?†_Palaeoniscinotus_ <small>Rohon, 1890</small>
            - Species †_P. czekanowskii_ <small>Rohon, 1890</small>
        - Genus †_Palaeoniscum_ <small>de Blainville, 1818</small> [_Palaeoniscus_ <small>Agassiz, 1833 non Von Meyer, 1858</small>; _Palaeoniscas_ <small>Rzchak, 1881</small>; _Eupalaeoniscus_ <small>Rzchak, 1881</small>; _Palaeomyzon_ <small>Weigelt, 1930</small>; _Geomichthys_ <small>Sauvage, 1888</small>]
            - Species †_P. angustum_ <small>(Rzehak, 1881)</small> [_Palaeoniscas angustus_ <small>Rzehak, 1881</small>]
            - Species †_P. antipodeum_ <small>(Egerton, 1864)</small> [_Palaeoniscus antipodeus_ <small>Egerton, 1864</small>]
            - Species †_P. antiquum_ <small>Williams, 1886</small>
            - Species †_P. arenaceum_ <small>Berger, 1832</small>
            - Species †_P. capense_ <small>(Bloom, 1913)</small> [_Palaeoniscus capensis_ <small>Bloom, 1913</small>]
            - Species †_P. comtum_ <small>(Agassiz, 1833)</small> [_Palaeoniscus comtus_ <small>Agassiz, 1833</small>]
            - Species †_P. daedalium_ <small>Yankevich & Minich, 1998</small>
            - Species †_P. devonicum_ <small>Clarke, 1885</small>
            - Species †_P. elegans_ <small>(Sedgwick, 1829)</small> [_Palaeoniscus elegans_ <small>Sedgwick, 1829</small>]
            - Species †_P. freieslebeni_ <small>de Blainville, 1818</small> [_Eupalaeoniscus freieslebeni_ <small>(de Brainville, 1818)</small>; _Palaeoniscus freieslebeni_ <small>(de Brainville, 1818)</small>]
            - Species †_P. hassiae_ <small>(Jaekel, 1898)</small> [_Galeocerdo contortus hassiae_ <small>Jaekel, 1898</small>; _Palaeomyzon hassiae_ <small>(Jaekel, 1898)</small>]
            - Species †_P. kasanense_ <small>Geinitz & Vetter, 1880</small>
            - Species †_P. katholitzkianum_ <small>(Rzehak, 1881)</small> [_Palaeoniscas katholitzkianus_ <small>Rzehak, 1881</small>]
            - Species †_P. landrioti_ <small>(le Sauvage, 1890)</small> [_Palaeoniscus landrioti_ <small>le Sauvage, 1890</small>]
            - Species †_P. longissimum_ <small>(Agassiz, 1833)</small> [_Palaeoniscus longissimus_ <small>Agassiz, 1833</small>]
            - Species †_P. macrophthalmum_ <small>(McCoy, 1855)</small> [_Palaeoniscus macrophthalmus_ <small>McCoy, 1855</small>]
            - Species †_P. magnum_ <small>(Woodward, 1937)</small> [_Palaeoniscus magnus_ <small>Woodward, 1937</small>]
            - Species †_P. moravicum_ <small>(Rzehak, 1881)</small> [_Palaeoniscas moravicus_ <small>Rzehak, 1881</small>]
            - Species †_P. promtu_ <small>(Rzehak, 1881)</small> [_Palaeoniscas promtus_ <small>Rzehak, 1881</small>]
            - Species †_P. reticulatum_ <small>Williams, 1886</small>
            - Species †_P. scutigerum_ <small>Newberry, 1868</small>
            - Species †_P. vratislavensis_ <small>(Agassiz, 1833)</small> [_Palaeoniscus vratislavensis_ <small>Agassiz, 1833</small>]
        - Genus †_Palaeothrissum_ <small>de Blainville, 1818</small>
            - Species †_P. elegans_ <small>Sedgwick, 1829</small>
            - Species †_P. macrocephalum_ <small>de Blainville, 1818</small>
            - Species †_P. magnum_ <small>de Blainville, 1818</small>
        - Genus ?†_Shuniscus_ <small>Su, 1983</small>
            - Species †_Shuniscus longianalis_ <small>Su, 1983</small>
        - Genus ?†_Suchonichthys_ <small>Minich, 2001</small>
            - Species †_Suchonichthys molini_ <small>Minich, 2001</small>
        - Genus ?†_Trachelacanthus_ <small>Fischer De Waldheim, 1850</small>
            - Species †_Trachelacanthus stschurovskii_ <small>Fischer De Waldheim, 1850</small>
        - Genus ?†_Triassodus_ <small>Su, 1984</small>
            - Species †_Triassodus yanchangensis_ <small>Su, 1984</small>
        - Genus ?†_Turfania_ <small>Liu & Martínez, 1973</small>
            - Species †_T. taoshuyuanensis_ <small>Liu & Martínez, 1973</small>
            - Species †_T. varta_ <small>Wang, 1979</small>
        - Genus ?†_Turgoniscus_ <small>Jakovlev, 1968</small>
            - Species †_Turgoniscus reissi_ <small>Jakovlev, 1968</small>
        - Genus ?†_Weixiniscus_ <small>Su & Dezao, 1994</small>
            - Species †_Weixiniscus microlepis_ <small>Su & Dezao, 1994</small>
        - Genus ?†_Xingshikous_ <small>Liu, 1988</small>
            - Species †_Xingshikous xishanensis_ <small>Liu, 1988</small>
        - Genus ?†_Yaomoshania_ <small>Poplin _et al._, 1991</small>
            - Species †_Yaomoshania minutosquama_ <small>Poplin _et al._, 1991</small>

### Other families attributed to Palaeonisciformes

This list includes families that at one time or another were placed in this order.

- †Acropholidae <small>Kazantseva-Selezneva, 1977</small>
- †Atherstoniidae <small>Gardiner, 1969</small>
- †Brazilichthyidae <small>Cox & Hutchinson, 1991</small>
- †Centrolepididae <small>Gardier, 1960</small>
- †Coccolepididae <small>Berg, 1940 corrig.</small>
- †Commentryidae <small>Gardiner, 1963</small>
- †Cryphiolepididae <small>MoyThomas, 1939 corrig.</small>
- †Dwykiidae <small>Gardiner, 1969</small>
- †Holuridae <small>Moy-Thomas, 1939</small>
- †Igornichthyidae <small>Heyler, 1977</small>
- †Irajapintoseidae <small>Beltan, 1978</small>
- †Monesedeiphidae <small>Beltan, 1989</small>
- †Moythomasiidae <small>Kazantseva, 1971</small>
- †Rhabdolepididae <small>Gardiner, 1963</small>
- †Stegotrachelidae <small>Gardiner, 1963</small>
- †Thrissonotidae <small>Berg, 1955</small>
- †Tienshaniscidae <small>Lu & Chen, 2010</small>
- †Turseodontidae <small>Bock, 1959 corrig.</small>
- †Uighuroniscidae <small>Jin, 1996</small>
- †Urosthenidae <small>Woodward, 1931</small>

## Related pages

- Acentrophorus
- Palaeoniscidae

## References

1. <small>"Palaeonisciformes". Paleobiology Database. Retrieved November 17, 2012.</small>