Veneto
Ceratoichthys pinnatiformis
Complete fish skeleton on plate
Description
The specimen dates back to the upper part of theEarly Eocene (approximately 49 million years ago), and belongs to the Collezione Baja. In 1969, the palaeontologist Jacques Blot described it as the finest and best-preserved known specimen of the species, thanks also to the perfect, intact preservation of its long fins. Although at first glance it may appear to be two distinct individuals, the fossil is in fact made up of the part and counterpart of the same specimen, preserved on two slabs.
Owing to its extraordinary beauty and elegance, this fossil carangid is considered one of the symbols of the Pesciara di Bolcadeposit, a world-famous Italian palaeontological site, known since 1550 and characterised by extraordinary biodiversity. Over the past few centuries, more than 280 new fish taxa have been described from the site.
Ceratoichthys is a rather rare bony fish within the Bolca ichthyofauna, represented by no more than seven specimens known to date. The first illustration of the species appears in a 1796 work by Giovanni Serafino Volta and represents the official logo of the SPI Società Paleontologica Italiana (Italian Palaeontological Society).
The genus Ceratoichthys, an icon of Italian palaeontology, is dedicated to the Cerato Family , whose members were engaged for around two centuries in extracting fossils from the deposits at Bolca.
Classification and size comparison
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Carangiformes
Family: Carangidae
Genus: †Ceratoichthys
Species: †Ceratoichthys pinnatiformis
Blainville, 1818
Geologic Time Scale
- ERA: Cenozoic
- PERIODO: Paleogene
- EPOCH: Eocene
- ETÀ: Ypresiano (56-47.8 Ma)
During the Ypresian, two major climate warming events occurred: the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, with a temperature increase of 5–8 °C, and the Lower Eocene Climatic Optimum, the longest warm period of the Cenozoic. These events caused profound changes in biodiversity, particularly among marine primary producers.
Site of discovery
Display location
Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Verona
Catalogue number:
MSNV T.949 e T.950
Gallery
Another specimen of Ceratoichthy pinnatiformis, displayed at the Natural History Museum of Verona, which still bears the mark of a hammer blow struck in 1954 by Massimiliano Cerato, a member of the family who actively collaborated in extracting fossils from the Pesciara, in order to demonstrate to Jacques Blot theautenticity of the fossil. The French palaeontologist was in fact convinced that the specimen had been reconstructed, owing to its unusual pectoral fins, but upon breaking, the specimen showed no old fractures, thereby proving the fossil's extraordinary genuineness.
Image credits: Ceratoichthys pinnatiformis 545.jpg” evidence for the reconstruction of Ghedoghedo, Wikimedia Commons,
licensed under CC BY‑SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).
Bibliography:
- Blot J. (1969). Le poissons fossiles du Monte Bolca classés jusqu’ici dans les familles des
Carangidae, Menidae, Ephippidae, Scatophagidae. Studi e Ricerche sui Giacimenti Terziari di
Bolca, 1: 1-525. - Carnevale G. (2020). I fossili di Bolca, icone della Paleontologia italiana. Geologicamente, 2:
38-47. - Cerato M. (2011). Cerato. I pescatori del Tempo. 178 pp. Grafica Alpone Srl, San Giovanni
Ilarione (VR). - Papazzoni C.A., Giusberti L., Carnevale G., Roghi G., Bassi D. & Zorzin R., eds. (2014). The Bolca
Fossil-Lagerstätten: A window into the Eocene World. Rendiconti della Società Paleontologica
Italiana, 4. 110 pp. Società Paleontologica Italiana, Modena. - Sorbini L. (1983). La collezione Baja di pesci e piante fossili di Bolca con descrizione di nuovi
generi e nuove specie. 117 pp. Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Verona. - Volta G.S. (1796). Ittiolitologia Veronese del Museo Bozziano ora annesso a quello del Conte
Giovambattista Gazola e di altri gabinetti di fossili veronesi. 172 pp. Stamperia Giuliari, Verona.
Credits and acknowledgments
Sincere thanks for sharing the multimedia material used on this page go to photographer Francesco Sorbini of AgBr Italia.
Reproduction, distribution, or any other use is prohibited without prior authorization from the rights holders.
Thanks also to Dr Roberto Zorzin and Dr Leonardo Latella of the Civic Museum of Natural History of Verona, as well as to Professor Luca Giusberti of the University of Padua, for their support and collaboration.