Dercetidae
| Dercetidae Temporal range: Possible Early Eocene record | |
|---|---|
| Specimen of Dercetis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Aulopiformes |
| Suborder: | †Enchodontoidei |
| Family: | †Dercetidae Woodward, 1901 |
| Type genus | |
| †Dercetis Agassiz, 1834 | |
| Genera | |
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See text | |
The Dercetidae are an extinct family of aulopiform ray-finned fish that are known from the Late Cretaceous to the early Paleocene (and possibly to the Eocene if Stratodus is a member). They are among the many members of the diverse, extinct suborder Enchodontoidei, which were dominant during the Cretaceous.
They can be distinguished by their slender appearance with an elongated snout and a prominent row of dermal scutes. Many genera evolved a very slender body plan with elongated jaws, closely converging on modern needlefish.