acanthopterygian
n.n. a type of fish that has bony plates on its body and a skeleton made of bone. These fish are usually found in the ocean and are related to modern sharks and rays.
n. a group of extinct marine vertebrates characterized by a bony skeleton and the presence of dermal denticles or scales. Often used in paleontological contexts to describe early jawed fish.
The fossil of an acanthopterygian was found in the limestone.
Paleontologists study acanthopterygian fossils to understand the evolutionary transition from jawless to jawed vertebrates.
The discovery of a well-preserved acanthopterygian specimen provided critical evidence for the development of bony armor in early marine life during the Silurian period.
From New Latin, from acanthus (“thorn”), (from Ancient Greek ἄκανθος (ákanthos)) + Ancient Greek πτερύγιον (pterúgion) diminutive of πτέρυξ (ptérux, “wing, fin”), from πτερόν (pterón, “feather, wing”).