Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 13, 2026

Cyclobatis

Cyclobatis is an extinct genus of stingray-like skate from the Upper Cretaceous of what is now Lebanon. The genus is typified by a circular form. The ray measures about 10 cm or 20 cm. In life the environment of this creature was a warm shallow sea. This fish had a very short tail, fitted with a venomous stinger.

Last revised
Jul 13, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
187 w
Citations
4
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Cyclobatis
Temporal range:
Fossil of Cyclobatis major
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Chondrichthyes
Order:
Rajiformes
Family:
†Cyclobatidae
Genus:
Cyclobatis

Egerton, 1844
Species
  • Cyclobatis longicanudatus
  • Cyclobatis major
  • Cyclobatis oligodactylus
Fauna and depositional environment of the coeval Hakel and Hjoula localities, including Cyclobatis source ↗

Cyclobatis is an extinct genus of stingray-like skate from the Upper Cretaceous of what is now Lebanon.12 The genus is typified by a circular form.1 The ray measures about 10 cm or 20 cm. In life the environment of this creature was a warm shallow sea. This fish had a very short tail, fitted with a venomous stinger.1

Two species are known. The shown, long-tailed Cyclobatis major and the short-tailed Cyclobatis oligodactylus. Cyclobatis major can reach a length of about 25 cm, Cyclobatis oligodactylus around 15 cm

References

References

  1. Claeson, Kerin Michele (May 2010). Trends in evolutionary morphology: a case study in the relationships of angel sharks and batoid fishes (PhD thesis). The University of Texas at Austin. hdl:2152/ETD-UT-2010-05-1347.
  2. Egerton, Philip Grey (1845). "Description of a Fossil Ray from Mount Lebanon (Cyclobatis oligodactylus)". Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society. 1 (1): 225–229. doi:10.1144/GSL.JGS.1845.001.01.60. S2CID 128842555.