Lower Pliocene Period – C. 5.3 to 2.58 million years old

Order to which the fossil belongs:  Palaeonisciformes
Name of which the family belongs: Palaeoniscidae

Location: Marecchia River Formation, Poggio Berni, Rimimini Province, Italy

This nice example of a Centriscus Strigatus, commonly known as the Razorfish, with its elongated, strongly compressed and blade like body. It has an elongated head and a long, tubular snout.

Syngnathiformes meaning “conjoined -jaws”, is an order of ray-finned fishes, which also includes the pipefishes and seahorses (Syngnathidae), razorfishes (Centriscidae), trumpetfishes (Aulostomidae) and cornetfishes (Fistulariidae). Members of the Syngnathiformes would have fed on small Crustaceans and were found in shallow tropical parts of the Indo- Pacific, living among seaweed and swimming with the body aligned vertically with the head down and the back facing the direction of travel, in order to blend in with the stems.

A nice example with nice definition.

Size: Razorfish: L: 97mm
Matrix: L: 164mm x H: 97mm x D: 12mm