Description

Argyropelecus cosmovicii
Fish
Oligocene
Menilite Formation
Outer Carpathians, Krepac, Poland

25mm hatchetfish on 70mm slab.

Argyropelecus is a genus of marine hatchetfish of the Family Sternopthychidae. It’s known from the Oligocene of Europe and the Miocene of California. Today, species of this genus frequent warm to temperate waters.

Jerzmanska, A. N. N. A. (1968). Ichthyofaune des couches à ménilite (Flysch des Karpathes). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 13, 379-481.

The article above reviews a fish fauna from a number of sites in Poland and the deepwater hatchetfish species, A. cosmovicii, is discussed in detail.  Today, marine hatchetfishes of this genus frequent warm to temperate waters.