Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 10, 2026

Helichthys

Helichthys is an extinct genus of prehistoric freshwater ray-finned fish that lived during the Early Triassic epoch in what is now South Africa.

Last revised
Jul 10, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
200 w
Citations
3
Source
Helichthys
Temporal range:
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Redfieldiiformes
Family: Redfieldiidae
Genus: Helichthys
Broom, 1909
Species:
H. browni
Binomial name
Helichthys browni
Broom, 1909

Helichthys is an extinct genus of prehistoric freshwater ray-finned fish that lived during the Early Triassic epoch in what is now South Africa.12

Although several species of Helichthys have been erected (H. elegans, H. stegopyge, H. obesus, H. ctenipteryx, H. grandipennis), they were later all synonymized with the type species, H. browni.3 Fossils were recovered from the Olenekian-aged Lower Cynognathus Assemblage Zone of Bekker's Kraal.

Synonyms

  • Helichthys draperi (Woodward, 1893)Dicellopyge draperi (Woodward, 1893)
  • Helichthys tenuis Broom, 1909Dicellopyge tenuis (Broom, 1909)
See also

See also

References

References

  1. Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Archived from the original on 2008-04-30. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
  2. Hutchinson, Peter (1973). "A revision of the redfieldiiform and perleidiform fishes from the Triassic of Bekker's Kraal (South Africa) and Brookvale (New South Wales)". Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Geology. 22: 236–354.
  3. Hutchinson, Peter (1978). "The anatomy and phylogenetic position of Helichthys, a redfieldiiform fish from the Triassic of South Africa". Palaeontology. 21: 881–891.