| Mene purdyi Temporal range: Late Paleocene |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
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Fossil
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Menidae |
| Genus: | Mene |
| Species: | M. purdyi |
Mene purdyi was a perciform fish found off the Peruvian coast of the Pacific Ocean during the Late Paleocene. It is one of the earlier members of its genus. M. purdyi is currently known only from a single skull. It is among the largest, if not the largest, members of the genus, also, as the skull suggests that it would have been 40 centimeters in life. The living species, M. maculata, by comparison, grows to an average length of 18 centimeters.