Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 21, 2026

Ischnacanthiformes

Ischnacanthiformes is a prehistoric order of "acanthodian" stem-chondrichthyans found in Canada, Ukraine and United Kingdom. Members of this order were nektonic carnivores, eating animals that swim rather than plankton. They had slender builds, light armor, deeply inserted spines, shark-like teeth, and two dorsal fins. Some species were around 2 meters long. It was described by Berg in 1940.

Last revised
Jun 21, 2026
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≈ 1 min
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Citations
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Ischnacanthiformes
Temporal range:
Nerepisacanthus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: †Acanthodii
Order: †Ischnacanthiformes
Families

Ischnacanthiformes is a prehistoric order of "acanthodian" stem-chondrichthyans found in Canada, Ukraine and United Kingdom. Members of this order were nektonic carnivores,1 eating animals that swim rather than plankton. They had slender builds, light armor, deeply inserted spines, shark-like teeth, and two dorsal fins.1 Some species were around 2 meters (6.56 feet) long.2 It was described by Berg in 1940.34

References

References

  1. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms (6 ed.). McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 2003.
  2. "Palaeos Vertebrates Acanthodii: Teleostomi". palaeos.com. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
  3. "†order Ischnacanthiformes Berg 1940 (spiny fish)". Fossilworks. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  4. Burrow, Carole. Acanthodians with dentigerous jaws: the Ischnacanthiformes and Acanthodopsis. Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Queensland.