Sphenocephalus
| Sphenocephalus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conservation status | |
| Fossil | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Genus: | Sphenocephalus |
| Species: | S. fissicaudus |
Sphenocephalus is an extinct genus of ray-finned fish that lived during the Cretaceous period. Fossils have been found in England and Italy.
Sphenocephalus was about 20 centimetres (8 in) long, with a rather large head, and may have resembled a modern black bass in appearance. It was one of the earliest fish to have the pelvic fins placed beneath th pectoral fins, a common feature in modern fish that improves swimming manoeuvrability. Like the modern trout-perches, it possessed a mixture of modern and primitive features, and it was probably one of the earliest perciform fish.[1]