Fish - Fossilised animal - Lycoptera - 11 cm (No reserve price)

Fossil fish – Lycoptera sp. – 11 cm
This specimen presents a complete and well-articulated skeleton of Lycoptera, a primitive bony fish belonging to the order Osteoglossiformes, that lived during the Early Cretaceous (about 120-130 million years ago).
Lycoptera fossils typically come from lacustrine deposits of the Yixian and Jiufotang Formations, in Liaoning Province (northeastern China), world-renowned for the exceptionally well-preserved fossils, often found in layers of fine-grained volcanic ash that have preserved the minute anatomical details.
On the calcareous/scistose matrix slab one can clearly observe the vertebral column, the ribs, the structure of the skull and the fins, with the brown-reddish coloration typical of iron mineralization that replaced the original organic tissues.
Lycoptera is regarded as an "index" fish for dating the Liaoning deposits, being extremely abundant and widespread in these lake ecosystems of the feathered-dinosaur era.
Includes: display case, ready for tabletop or shelf display.