Pygopterus
| Pygopterus Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| P. humboldti fossil (Museum of Paleontology, Tübingen) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Family: | †Pygopteridae |
| Genus: | †Pygopterus Agassiz, 1833 |
| Type species | |
| †Palaeothrissium humboldti Blainville, 1818 | |
| Other species | |
| |
Pygopterus is an extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish that lived during the Wuchiapingian to Olenekian ages (late Permian to Early Triassic epochs) in what is now England, Germany (Baden-Württemberg, Saxony-Anhalt), Greenland and Svalbard (Spitsbergen). It is one of the few genera of ray-finned fish known to cross the Permian-Triassic boundary.
Fossils have been found in the Marl Slate Formation, Kupferschiefer (Werra Formation), Ravnefjeld Formation, Vikinghøgda Formation and Buntsandstein. A report about the discovery of this fish in Westphalian deposits of Belgium was likely caused by the presence of Nematoptychius which was referred to as Pygopterus in late 19th century.