An armored catfish from the Cretaceous of Morocco

[Halichoeres]

While there are some boring theropods known from the Kem Kem Group, we all know the real stars are the fish! Here's another one, the earliest known armored catfish:




Afrocascudo saharensis (cascudo is the Portuguese name for armored catfishes in Brazil)
A lot of the skull is missing, so they've identified it by its fin rays, armor plates, and anterior vertebrae (the Weberian apparatus). This fossil is evidence that the armored catfishes (Loricarioidei) originated before the full separation of Africa and South America.

Paper (paywall, but pm me if you want the pdf): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1342937X24000947

[Bread]

Reminds me of Pterygoplichthys, which is an armored catfish invasive species we have here in Florida. And let me tell you, they're in every body of water here in Florida...



It's always an interesting read especially if it relates to modern relatives some of us may see or interact with today. Thank you for the read @Halichoeres!

[Halichoeres]

@Bread yep, that's definitely in the same large clade (Loricarioidea). Nearly 1,200 species, from such humble beginnings. Includes plenty of great aquarium fish, who are not so great if you dump them in a pond after they outgrow a tank!

[Gwangi]

I used to have an 18" royal pleco named Shredder. I guess I still technically have him. I kept him in my freezer so long after he died that he got freezer burnt. Now he has been hanging on my garage wall for the last 6 years. To give you an idea of how long I've had his corpse he was alive about 20 years ago. He was just too cool to dispose of. I like Loricariids.

[SBell]

I used to have an 18" royal pleco named Shredder. I guess I still technically have him. I kept him in my freezer so long after he died that he got freezer burnt. Now he has been hanging on my garage wall for the last 6 years. To give you an idea of how long I've had his corpse he was alive about 20 years ago. He was just too cool to dispose of. I like Loricariids.

I get it. I have 3 bichirs in the freezer that I just can't let go of

[Gwangi]

I used to have an 18" royal pleco named Shredder. I guess I still technically have him. I kept him in my freezer so long after he died that he got freezer burnt. Now he has been hanging on my garage wall for the last 6 years. To give you an idea of how long I've had his corpse he was alive about 20 years ago. He was just too cool to dispose of. I like Loricariids.

I get it. I have 3 bichirs in the freezer that I just can't let go of

Well, the plan was to have him professionally mounted but it never came to pass. I used to have a whole mini-freezer full of dead fish but at some point when moving to a new house I decided they didn't need to go with me and I dug a big hole. That's when I discovered that Shredder had been in there so long that he was freeze dried and I decided that was close enough to having him preserved, so I kept him. I'm sure in time he'll be eaten away by insects in my garage but that's alright.

[SBell]

I used to have an 18" royal pleco named Shredder. I guess I still technically have him. I kept him in my freezer so long after he died that he got freezer burnt. Now he has been hanging on my garage wall for the last 6 years. To give you an idea of how long I've had his corpse he was alive about 20 years ago. He was just too cool to dispose of. I like Loricariids.

I get it. I have 3 bichirs in the freezer that I just can't let go of

Well, the plan was to have him professionally mounted but it never came to pass. I used to have a whole mini-freezer full of dead fish but at some point when moving to a new house I decided they didn't need to go with me and I dug a big hole. That's when I discovered that Shredder had been in there so long that he was freeze dried and I decided that was close enough to having him preserved, so I kept him. I'm sure in time he'll be eaten away by insects in my garage but that's alright.

Just spray it with lacquer. Preserved forever!

[Gwangi]

I used to have an 18" royal pleco named Shredder. I guess I still technically have him. I kept him in my freezer so long after he died that he got freezer burnt. Now he has been hanging on my garage wall for the last 6 years. To give you an idea of how long I've had his corpse he was alive about 20 years ago. He was just too cool to dispose of. I like Loricariids.

I get it. I have 3 bichirs in the freezer that I just can't let go of

Well, the plan was to have him professionally mounted but it never came to pass. I used to have a whole mini-freezer full of dead fish but at some point when moving to a new house I decided they didn't need to go with me and I dug a big hole. That's when I discovered that Shredder had been in there so long that he was freeze dried and I decided that was close enough to having him preserved, so I kept him. I'm sure in time he'll be eaten away by insects in my garage but that's alright.

Just spray it with lacquer. Preserved forever!

I might just do that, then probably move him into the house. lol

[Torvosaurus]

I used to have an 18" royal pleco named Shredder. I guess I still technically have him. I kept him in my freezer so long after he died that he got freezer burnt. Now he has been hanging on my garage wall for the last 6 years. To give you an idea of how long I've had his corpse he was alive about 20 years ago. He was just too cool to dispose of. I like Loricariids.

I get it. I have 3 bichirs in the freezer that I just can't let go of

Well, the plan was to have him professionally mounted but it never came to pass. I used to have a whole mini-freezer full of dead fish but at some point when moving to a new house I decided they didn't need to go with me and I dug a big hole. That's when I discovered that Shredder had been in there so long that he was freeze dried and I decided that was close enough to having him preserved, so I kept him. I'm sure in time he'll be eaten away by insects in my garage but that's alright.

Just spray it with lacquer. Preserved forever!

I might just do that, then probably move him into the house. lol

I had one leopard pleco that was 18" and lived for 25 years, a second one that was 17" and lived for 19 years. They were the only catfish I kept, I've always been into rift valley cichlids, but I had a jaguar cichlid that was right about 19" that I fed culls to. He would have made a cool mount, but I don't think I could've actually done it. I was attached to him.

Torvo

[Bread]

@Bread yep, that's definitely in the same large clade (Loricarioidea). Nearly 1,200 species, from such humble beginnings. Includes plenty of great aquarium fish, who are not so great if you dump them in a pond after they outgrow a tank!

Interesting... And yep it's no joke they are plentiful. After fishing this past weekend once again, I at least counted a good twenty or so spotted in a narrow canal, easily 100 yards area we hover at to fish.