Mene purdyi

Mene purdyi an extinct species of ray-finned fish in the genus Mene, from Late Thanetian-aged marine deposits in northern Peru. M. purdyi is currently known only from a single skull and a few post-cranial bones. M. purdyi is among the largest, if not the largest, members of the genus, as the skull suggests that it would have been over 40 centimetres (16 in) in life. The living species, M. maculata, by comparison, grows to an average length of 18 centimetres (7.1 in).

Mene purdyi Temporal range: Late Thanetian ~58.7–55.8 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
M. maculata (top) and M. purdyi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Carangiformes
Family:	Menidae
Genus:	Mene
Species:	†M. purdyi
Binomial name
†Mene purdyi Friedman & Johnson, 2005

References

• "A new species of Mene (Perciformes: Menidae) from the Paleocene of South America, with notes on paleoenvironment and a brief review of menid fishes."