Protosphyraena:
A Late Cretaceous "Swordfish"
Copyright © 2002-2008 by Mike Everhart
Page created 11/19/2002; Updated 04/20/2008
LEFT: "Protosphyraena on the prowl" by Ron Garrett © 2003; Used with permission.
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Protosphyraena: A Late Cretaceous "Swordfish" Copyright © 2002-2008 by Mike EverhartPage created 11/19/2002; Updated 04/20/2008
LEFT: "Protosphyraena on the prowl" by Ron Garrett © 2003; Used with permission. |
“… I used to think that the man-eating sharks off the Florida coast were the most blood-thirsty of the order, but this one is still worse. Notice the head is prolonged in front into a long round bony snout, or ram. On account of this, I called it a snout fish, when I first discovered their bones in the Kansas Chalk. The ram ends, you notice, in a sharp point eight or ten inches long. Then at the end of the mouth there are four lance-like teeth projecting forward and outward. The object of these is to cut wider the breach his ram makes in the quivering flesh of a mosasaur, so he can force his head into the bleeding flesh to the eye rims. But his most terrible weapons are his pectoral fins. See, they are four feet long, serrated on the cutting or outer edge, enameled, and as sharp as a knife. They can be locked, and stand out straight from the body. A sudden swing would, if he was close to a mosasaur, cut a gash several feet long in its vitals. See these fins span over eight feet. I pity the fish or reptile that comes his way." Excerpted from Charles H. Sternberg's "Hunting Dinosaurs on the Red Deer River, Alberta, Canada" (1917, p. 167-168). |
Charles Sternberg (above) imagined that his "snout-fishes" were among the most dangerous fish in the Western Interior Sea. While that view is probably incorrect, they were certainly among the strangest of the large fishes during the Late Cretaceous.
The genus Protosphyraena is represented by the remains of several fairly common fish found in the Smoky Hill Chalk and elsewhere around the world (Europe, Japan). It would have looked somewhat like a modern swordfish with a sharp, sword-like beak and long, sickle shaped front fins. The teeth were first described from the English chalk by Mantell and the genus was named by Leidy in 1857 from English specimens.
The first specimens of Protosphyraena from Kansas were apparently collected by B. F. Mudge near the Solomon River (Rooks County) in 1872-73 and sent to E. D. Cope who named them. Cope's original genus name (Erisichthe) was later determined to be a junior synonym of Leidy's Protosphyraena. Protosphyraena nitida and P. gladius were named in 1873, followed by Ichthyodectes perniciosus (= Protosphyraena perniciosa) in 1874.
Cope described the fin of I. perniciosus as: "The cutting edge is coarsely serrate, each projecting tooth marking the end of one of the oblique component rods [pectoral fin spines]. The apex of each tooth is the end of a transverse thickening or low ridge of the surface of the spine, so that the cutting edge is equally acute at the bottoms of the concavities as at the rather obtuse apices of the teeth."
The incorrect spelling of the species name, "pernicosa" in recent publications (including a number of mine in the past) is the subject of some concern because it was not officially changed, and should remain "perniciosa." The original spelling authored by Woodward (1895, p. 414) is used here.
The Name Game Cope (1874, p. 41) gave the name Ichthyodectes perniciosus Cope (1875, p. 244) changed the name to Pelecopterus perniciosus (male gender) Woodward (1895) changed the name to Protosphyraena perniciosa. (female gender) Loomis (1900, p. 221) mentions the species as Protosphyraena perniciosa Hay (1903, p. 9) discusses the species as P. perniciosa. J. D. Stewart (1979, 1988 and 1990) spelled the species name: P. pernicosa… This spelling has been repeated in a number of papers by other authors, including myself, since 1990. |
B. F. Mudge (1874, p. 122) wrote: “The most remarkable species of fish which we have found, the present season, are of a genus new to me, and I think to science. They are armed with a long, strong weapon at the extremity of the upper jaw, something like that of a sword-fish, but round and pointed and composed of strong fibres. The jaws are provided with three kinds of teeth. On the outer edge is a row of large, flat, cutting teeth, somewhat resembling those of a shark. Inside, and placed irregularly, are small, blunt teeth; while in the back portion of the palate is the third set- small, sharp and needle-like in shape, forming a pavement. The jaws are also fibrous, like the snout. There are three species of this genus. Prof. Marsh has them for critical scientific examination.” Apparently, at least fourteen specimens (YPM 42152, 42200, 42285, 42137, 42138, etc.) were collected by Mudge in 1874 from Ellis and Rooks counties.
P. perniciosa grew to fairly large size (est. 3 m) while others (P. nitida and P. tenuis) were smaller (2 m or less). Another rare, giant "species," Protosphyraena gladius, may not actually be a member of the genus. An other species named by Cope, Erisichthe ziphioides 1877, was determined to be a completely new and unrelated genus (Martinichthys) which was described by McClung in 1926, and revised by Taverne (1999).
The distinctive pectoral fins and shoulder bones are most frequently preserved as fossils of this genus, and in several species (P. perniciosa and P. tenuis) the fins have a distinctive saw-toothed, leading edge. Partial skulls, with a sharp rostrum (nose) is also found preserved in the chalk and is readily recognized by the flat, blade-like teeth. The anterior teeth in the upper and lower jaws point forward. The remaining skeleton was poorly ossified and has not been found preserved, except for the hypural bone at the base of the caudal fin. One specimen at the University of Kansas does preserve a nearly complete caudal fin (KUVP-293: below):
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LEFT: This is what Frederick Loomis (1900) thought that Protosphyraena looked like. Although it is incorrect in several aspects, including the tail, we have learned very little more about the appearance of this strange fish in the last 100 years. ... until recently, that is. |
| RIGHT: The sketch at right is probably much closer to the actual appearance of Protosphyraena perniciosa than the one by Loomis (above). It is based on a recent discovery by Mike Triebold in the Smoky Hill Chalk of Gove County. The specimen is currently on display in the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center in Woodland Park, Colorado. Although lacking the anterior portion of the skull, it is the most complete specimen of Protosphyraena ever found, and provides valuable information regarding the unusual characteristics of this fish. The fish is rather short for the size of it's long, saw-toothed pectoral fins and large nearly vertical caudal fin. The pelvic fins are long and streamer-like, and emerge just behind the pectoral fins. The dorsal fin is large and rounded. Both the second dorsal fin and the anal fin are rounded, and are located just anterior to the caudal fin. Their position suggests that they served to enlarge the surface area of the tail and possibly provide additional thrust for fast swimming. |  |
| Mike and Pam Everhart at the site of Pam's 1988 discovery of the skull (lower center) and pectoral fins of a large, late Cretaceous fish called Protosphyraena nitida. Protosphyraena was a primitive predatory fish that looked something like a modern swordfish, but did not have well ossified vertebrae. To date, this is the only known specimen of Protosphyraena which has the pectoral fins preserved with the skull. The specimen was donated to the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History and a picture of the right side of the prepared skull was published in the LACMNH Magazine, TERRA, in 1993 (Vol. 31, Number 4). A cast of the skull was exhibited in the Denver Museum of Natural History, in the Ray Troll traveling exhibit in 1998. Pictures of our cast of the skull are HERE and HERE. |  |
PROTOSPHYRAENA NITIDA
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LEFT: This 1988 photograph shows the left (upper) side of the completely articulated Protosphyraena nitida skull, just removed from the field and unprepared. The specimen was collected from the lower chalk in Ellis County, northwest of Hays, Kansas. |
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LEFT: The right (lower) side of a cast of the skull of Protosphyraena nitida (LACM 129752). |
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LEFT: An anterior view of the scapulo-coracoids and attached (but incomplete) pectoral fins of the P. nitida specimen. (From a 1988 photograph) |
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LEFT: This photo shows the "articulation" between the shoulder girdle (scapulo-coracoid) and the back of the skull as found. In life, they would not have been attached to the skull. The two incomplete pectoral fins point off to the top right and mid-right of the photograph. |
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LEFT: Protosphyraena nitida fins do not have the jagged, saw-toothed edges found in P. perniciosa. Instead they have fine grooves at right angles to the edge of the fin. |
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LEFT: An associated partial skull and pectoral fin of a very small (about 3 ft or 1 m) Protosphyraena nitida (EPC 2003-14) that I collected in the lower chalk of southeastern Gove County (2003). This specimen is unusual both for the small size and the association of a rostrum with a pectoral fin. The specimen shows evidence of being scavenged by a shark, probably Squalicorax falcatus. |
PROTOSPHYRAENA PERNICIOSA
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LEFT: A complete set of Protosphyraena perniciosa fins (FHSM VP-80) that are on exhibit in the Sternberg Museum at Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. These were collected in the lower Smoky Hill Chalk (late Coniacian) of Ellis County. Each fin measures over 36 inches, and the complete mount measures 77 inches across including the pectoral girdle (scapulo-coracoid). |
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LEFT: A complete skull of Protosphyraena sp. (probably P. perniciosa) that was previously on exhibit in the original Sternberg Museum on the campus of Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. This specimen (FHSM VP-81) was collected and prepared by George Sternberg from the chalk of Ellis County, and measures 15 in. (38 cm) from the back of the skull to the tip of the rostrum. Note the forward facing teeth in both the upper and lower jaws. |
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LEFT: A field photo of a complete set of Protosphyraena perniciosa fins and shoulder girdle (scapulo-coracoids) found by Pam Everhart in the lower chalk of Trego County, in 2004. |
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LEFT: The anterior portion of another Protosphyraena skull in my collection, showing the long rostrum. This particular specimen shows evidence of scavenging by sharks, probably Squalicorax. |
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LEFT: A Protosphyraena perniciosa skull and lower jaws in right lateral view. This nearly complete skull was found by Keith Ewell in the lower Smoky Hill Chalk (Late Coniacian) of western Trego County in 2003. Unfortunately, most of the skull had weathered out sometime earlier and all but one of the larger teeth were damaged by erosion. However, the smaller teeth on the coronoid bones at the anterior end of the lower jaws were preserved largely intact: Anterior ends of lower jaws; Left dentary; Left dentary; right dentary; right dentary. |
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LEFT: Fractured rostrum of a Protosphyraena skull that
impacted the bottom at a high rate of speed and buried itself several inches deep before
hitting a buried, long-dead clam shell. RIGHT: Dorsal and ventral views of the same rostrum showing the fractures and deformation that probably occurred during the process of preservation, not as a result on impact on the clam shell. |
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LEFT: Probably the first published record of the fin of Protosphyraena (P. ferox Leidy, 1856?) is found in G. A. Mantell (1822). The drawing of the fragment from the Upper Chalk, near Lewes, England, was done by Mrs. Mantell. |
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LEFT: For comparison with the above drawing, a photograph of a fragment of a Protosphyraena perniciosa fin from the basal Smoky Hill Chalk of Ellis County in western Kansas. The edge of another Protosphyraena perniciosa fin is shown here. |
PROTOSPHYRAENA GLADIUS (COPE 1873)
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A fourth (and a very large) species of "Protosphyraena"
found in the Smoky Hill Chalk is P. gladius (Cope, 1873). According to
Stewart (1988) the fins of this species have some distinct characteristics that may set P.
gladius apart from other species of Protosphyraena. In addition, the skull
of P. gladius is unknown, so it is not certain that it even had the sword-like
rostrum of P. perniciosa, P. nitida and P. tenuis. Although a
fair number of specimens of this species have been collected from as far back as the 1870s
(Stewart (1988) lists 17), I have only collected a small piece of one... the fin fragment
shown above left. The complete fin (above) is in the Sternberg Museum
collection (88 cm long, 20 cm wide at the base). Proximal end of the fin edge is HERE - Distal tip of fin edge is HERE. A pair of fins and associated shoulder
(scapulo-coracoid) elements in the University of Kansas collection are shown at left (KUVP
508). Cope (1875) remarked that, "This is a formidable weapon, and could be readily
used to split wood in the fossilized condition." Protosphyraena gigas
(Stewart, 1899) is a junior synonym of P. gladius. IMPORTANT NOTE: P. gladius has recently been determined to be a pachycormid, and not Protosphyraena. See abstract below: |
55th
SYMPOSIUM OF VERTEBRATE PALAEONTOLOGY AND COMPARATIVE ANATOMY and 16th SYMPOSIUM OF
PALAEONTOLOGICAL PREPARATION AND CONSERVATION - The New insights on the Upper
Cretaceous pachycormid ‘Protosphyraena’ 1
University of 2
DePaul University, Environmental Science Program and Department of Biological 3
Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center, 719-686-1820 |
| On a related note, "Ichthypriapus hubbsi"
was the name given to an "odd" bone (KUVP 888) in the University of Kansas
collection by Claude Hibbard (1942) ... he thought it was a clasper from an as then
unidentified chimaeroid fish ... However, it was collected by H.T. Martin in close
association with a large Protosphyraena gladius specimen (KUVP 465)... After he had
prepared it out, Martin labeled it as an "unknown bone." I think it is pretty
safe to assume it is part of the original P. gladius specimen.. For one thing, you
just do not see that many co-mingled specimens in the chalk, and for another, it was noted
in Schultze et al. (1982) that the "unknown bone" is actually real bone and not
calcified cartilage (not something you would expect from a cartilaginous fish like a
chimaeroid). Hibbard, C. W. 1942 A new chimaeroid fish from the Niobrara Cretaceous of Logan County, Kansas. University Kansas Science Bulletin 28-2(11):237-240, 4 fig. |
The following figures and descriptions are from: Hay, O. P., 1903. On certain genera and species of North American Cretaceous Actinopterous fishes. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. XIX 1-95, pls. i-v, 72 text-figs. All the specimens shown in this section are in the collection of the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH).
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LEFT: Fig. 1. Protosphyraena nitida (Cope). No. 2105.
Type of Erisichthe penetrans Cope. Rostrum seen from below. x 1/3. eth.,
ethmoid; par., parasphenoid; vom., vomer; t., vomerine teeth. LEFT: Fig. 2. Protosphyraena nitida (Cope). No. 2105. Type of Erisichthe penetrans Cope. Rostrum seen from above. x 1/3. With cross sections. eth., ethmoid; f., frontal bone. RIGHT: Fig. 3. Protosphyraena nitida (Cope). No. 2121. x 1/2. den., dentary; pct., fragment of pectoral fin; spl., splenial. |
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LEFT: Fig. 4. Protosphyraena perniciosa
(Cope). No. 1901. x 1/3. cl., cleithrum; cor., coracoid; sc.,
scapula. LEFT: Fig. 5. Protosphyraena perniciosa (Cope). No. 1901. x 1/3. cl., cleithrum; cor., coracoid; p.cor., precoracoid. RIGHT: Fig. 6. Protosphyraena sp. No. 1646. x 1/3. bas., baseosts; cor., coracoid; pct. pectoral fin; sc., scapula. RIGHT: Fig. 7. Protosphyraena perniciosa (Cope). No. 2009. x 1/3. Cleithrum seen from inner surface. |
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| Sometime around 1908, the University of Kansas purchased a Protosphyraena caudal fin (KUVP-293) that had been discovered by C. H. Sternberg. A short note regarding the specimen and an illustration were included in McClung (1908). The text, Plate 13 (Left) and a recent photo (Right) are shown below: |
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M'CLUNG: THE KANSAS CRETACEOUS
245 ... CAUDAL FIN OF PROTOSPHYRÆNA. "The entire skeleton of any member of this genus has not yet been discovered. There is therefore lacking a knowledge of several portions of the body, among which are the occipital region of the skull, the vertebral column and the caudal fin. Light upon all these points is afforded by material now at my disposal. I wish here to consider the caudal fin and incidentally the vertebræ. Through purchase from Mr. C. H. Sternberg the University of Kansas has come into possession of a specimen of the caudal fin, which not only shows the nature of this organ but also clearly demonstrates the absence of ossified vertebrae. In plate XIII is represented a lateral view of this specimen, from which the essential features may be understood without much description. The ossified neurals and hæmals appear very plainly, as they do in the nearly related Hyposocormus, according to Woodward, but the centra are absent. The last hæmal is considerably modified, forming a urostyle, to which many of the fin-rays attach. This bone is frequently found by collectors, but its character and relationships have not heretofore been understood. The fin-rays are fine, closely apposed and very numerous. In the specimen under consideration they are incomplete and broken, so that the exact form of the fin cannot be ascertained. Apparently it was broad and firm." 246 KANSAS UNIVERSITY SCIENCE BULLETIN. Owing. to the isolated condition of the specimen its specific position cannot be determined, and any attempt to do this would be only a guess. It is an important specimen, however, since it definitely places the genus in the family Pachycormidæ, upon the assumption that only the uncertainty of vertebral characters previously made the classification doubtful." |
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LEFT: The tail of Protosphyraena sp. (KUVP 49419) in the
University of Kansas collection; collected from the Smoky Hill Chalk of Trego County. The
upper lobe of the tail is complete; the lower lobe is damaged and incomplete. RIGHT: A closer view at the same specimen. Note that the centra of the vertebrae of Protosphyraena are poorly ossified and are not preserved even though the dorsal and ventral processes are. Protosphyraena has a distinctive bone at the base of the tail (caudal fin) called the hypural that is sometimes preserved seperately. |
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(ABOVE) The teeth of Protosphyraena are flat and blade-shaped, and non-serrated. They are quite unlike any other large teeth found in the Smoky Hill Chalk. Click HERE and HERE to see other views. (RIGHT) - This section of the lower jaw of Protosphyraena shows the arrangement of the more posterior teeth. |
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LEFT: Eight fragments of Protosphyraena sp. teeth collected by Keith Ewell from the Upper Dakota Sandstone (upper Middle Cenomanian) of Russell County, KS. |
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LEFT: Albin Stewart (1898, p. 27) described a new species of Protosphyraena
from the Lincoln Member (Upper Cenomanian) of the Greenhorn Limestone that had been found
by S. W. Williston in 1893 in southern Mitchell County. Stewart named the new
species Protosphyraena bentonianum.The specimen (KUVP 414) consists of a 20 cm (8
in) rostrum and several unidentifiable bone fragments. Although the type material
does not contain teeth, it is likely that the teeth in the photo at above left are also
from P. bentonianum. The inset is a close-up of the surface texture of the snout
which Stewart believed to be distinctive for the species. However, the same texture also
appears on Protosphyraena snouts from the Smoky Hill Chalk. Note that the species name was first published as "bentonia" in 1898 by Stewart, but then was noted to be a typographical error by Stewart (1900). |
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LEFT: A recently collected (2005) specimen of Protosphyraena perniciosa(?) / P. bentonianum from the Fort Hays Limestone of Jewell County (private collection). Note the same surface texture on the snout as noted above. |
Other Oceans of Kansas webpages on Late Cretaceous fish:
Field Guide to Sharks and Bony Fish of the Smoky Hill Chalk
Sharks:
Bony Fish
Plethodids:
Suggested references:
Cope, E. D., 1873. [On an extinct genus of saurodont fishes]. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil. 24:280-281. (meeting of Dec. 17, 1872) Wherein Cope names of the genus Erisichthe and describes Erisichthe (Protosphyraena) nitida). <EM>
Cope, E. D., 1873. On two new species of Saurodontidae. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil. 25:337-339. (naming of Portheus lestrio (Xiphactinus audax), Portheus gladius (Protosphyraena gladius) and Daptinus (Saurodon leanus).
Cope, E. D., 1874. Review of the vertebrata of the Cretaceous period found west of the
Mississippi River. U. S. Geol. Surv. Terr. Bull. 1(2):3-48.
Diedrich, C., 2001. Ein pectoralflossenrest von Protosphyraena sp. (Pachycormidae, Actinopterygii) aus dem Ober-Cenoman von Halle/Westf. (NW-Deutschland). Ber. Naturwiss. Verein fur Bielfefeld u. Umgegend 41:31-44. (Report of a fairly complete specimen in Germany)
Hay, O. P., 1903. On certain genera and species of North American Cretaceous Actinopterous fishes. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. XIX 1-95, pls. i-v, 72 text-figs.
Hibbard, C. W. 1942 A new chimaeroid fish from the Niobrara Cretaceous of Logan County, Kansas. University Kansas Science Bulletin 28-2(11):237-240, 4 fig.
Leidy, J.. 1857. Remarks on Saurocephalus and its allies. Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc. xi pp. 91-95, with pl. vi.
Loomis, F. B., 1900. Die anatomie und die verwandtschaft der Ganoid- und Knochen-fische aus der Kreide-Formation von Kansas, U.S.A. Palaeontographica, 46: (in German)
Mantell, G., 1822. The fossils of the South Downs; or illustrations of the geology of Sussex. Lupton Relfe, London, xiv + 327 p., 42 p. (page 319 and plate 39, first publication of a drawing the fin of Protosphyraena)
McClung, C. E., 1908. Ichthyological notes on the Kansas Cretaceous, I. Kansas Univ. Sci. Bull. IV 235-246, pls. x-xiii, 10 text-figs. (SEE ABOVE)
Schultze, H.-P., J. D. Stewart, A. M. Neuner and R. W. Coldiron, 1982. Type and figured specimens of fossil vertebrates in the collection of the University of Kansas Museum of Natural History. Part I. Fossil fishes. Misc. Pub. University Kansas Museum Natural History 73:53 pp.
Stewart, A., 1898. A contribution to the knowledge of the ichthyic fauna of the Kansas Cretaceous. Kansas University Quarterly 7(1):22-29, pl. I, II. (Portheus lowii sp. nov., Daptinus broadheadi sp. nov., Saurocephalus dentatus sp. nov., Protosphyraena bentonia sp. nov., and Protosphyraena, sp. nov.)
Stewart, A., 1899. Notice of three new Cretaceous fishes, with remarks on the Saurodontidae Cope. Kansas Univ. Quar. 8(3):107-112. (Xiphactinus, Protosphyraena gigas and Empo [Cimolichthys])
Stewart, A., 1900. Teleosts of the Upper Cretaceous. The University Geological Survey of Kansas. Topeka 6:257-403, 6 figs., pls. XXXIII-LXXVIII.
Stewart, J. D. 1979. Biostratigraphic distribution of species of Protosphyraena (Osteichthyes: Actinopterygii) in the Niobrara and Pierre Formations of Kansas. Proceedings of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies, 89th Annual Meeting, p. 51-52. (abstract)
Stewart, J. D., 1988. The stratigraphic distribution of late Cretaceous Protosphyraena in Kansas and Alabama, Geology, In Nelson, M. E. (ed.), Paleontology and biostratigraphy of western Kansas: Articles in honor of Myrl V. Walker, Fort Hays Studies, 3(10):80-94. (Science)
Stewart, J. D., 1990. Niobrara Formation vertebrate stratigraphy, pages 19-30, In Bennett, S. C. (ed.), Niobrara Chalk Excursion Guidebook, The University of Kansas Museum of Natural History and the Kansas Geological Survey.
Taverne, L., 1999. Révision du genre Martinichthys, poisson marin (Teleostei, Tselfatiirormes) du Crétecé supérior du Kansas (États-Unis). Geobios 33(2):211-222. (Revision of the genus Martinichthys, marine fish (Teleostei, Tselfatiiformes) from the Late Cretaceous of Kansas (United States))
Woodward, A. S. 1895. Catalogue of the fossil fishes in the British Museum. Part 3. British Museum of Natural History, London. Pp. i-xliii, 1-544, pls.
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