Ancient Fossil Reveals Saltwater Origins of Carp and Catfish

Credit: Don Brinkman (Royal Tyrrell Museum)

The origins of popular freshwater species, such as carp and catfish, have been traced back to the skeleton of a tiny fish dating to the age of the dinosaurs.

Researchers from the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology and Western University in Canada have been studying the miniature fish, which measures just 4 cm in length—a small fry compared to its evolved predecessors, such as carp.

The newly discovered creature (named Acronichthys maccognoi) dates back to the late Cretaceous period (66 million years ago). It helps shed light on the evolution of the otophysan supergroup of fish, which includes species such as carp and catfish.

According to the study, Acronichthys maccognoi provides new evidence that the otophysans supergroup originated as saltwater species before evolving into freshwater species. The discovery of this ancient fish suggests that the process of divergence occurred twice during the evolution of these species.

Specifically, researchers estimate that divergence occurred during the late Cretaceous period, approximately 154 million years ago.

For more information on the research, including access to the original study, please refer to the original release published by the University of Western Ontario.