Whymper Original Early Drawing of Fishes of the

WHYMPER, Charles (1853-1941).
Fishes of the Jurassic Period (Hypsocormus, Aspidorhynchus, Sprattiformis, Caturus, Chondrostreus, Dapedius).
Original Illustration in pen, ink and grey wash, heightened in white.
c.1905-1912.
12" x 8 7/8" sheet.

Original artwork for Henry R. Knipe's Nebula to Man. Illustrated on page 60.

.1. Hypsocormus is an extinct genus of teleost fish from the Jurassic period of Europe. Hypsocormus was a fast-swimming predatory fish about 1 meter (3.3 ft) long, with a half moon-shaped caudal fin similar to that of a modern mackerel. It had a single dorsal fin, elongated pectoral fins and tiny pelvic fins about halfway down the body. An early teleost, Hypsocormus was still primitive, possessing primitive traits such as armored scales. These were, however, small compared with those of earlier fish, allowing greater flexibility. Its jaws were muscular and highly developed, giving it a powerful bite.

2. Aspidorhynchus (meaning "shield snout") is an extinct genus of ray-finned fish from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Fossils have been found in Europe and Antarctica. Aspidorhynchus was a slender, fast-swimming fish, 60 centimeters (2.0 ft) long, with tooth-lined, elongated jaws. It also had heavy scales and a symmetrical tail. The upper jaw was longer than the lower jaw, ending in a toothless spike. Although it would have looked superficially similar to the present day gars, it was not related to them, but was instead an early-diverging relative of the teleosts.

3. Leptolepides Sprattiformis is an extinct genus of prehistoric ray-finned fish that lived during the early Tithonian stage of the Late Jurassic epoch.

4. Caturus is an extinct genus of fishes in the family Caturidae. Fossils of this genus range from 200 to 109 mya. This genus is present in the Cretaceous of Germany, Japan, Spain, Tunisia, the United Kingdom, from the Jurassic to Cretaceous of France and the Permian of China.

5. Chondrosteus is a genus of extinct actinopterygian (ray-finned fish) belonging to the family Chondrosteidae. It lived during the Sinemurian (early Early Jurassic) in what is now England.[1] Chondrosteus is remotely related with Modern sturgeons and paddlefishes. Similar to sturgeons, the jaws of Chondrosteus were free from the rest of the skull (projectile jaw system). Its scale cover was reduced to the upper lobe of the caudal fin like in paddlefish.

6. Dapedium is an extinct genus of primitive neopterygian ray-finned fish. The first-described finding was an example of D. politum, found in the Lower Lias of Lyme Regis, on the Jurassic Coast of England (Leach 1822). Dapedium lived in the late Triassic and Jurassic periods.