Mesopoma planti (Traquair 1890; Early Carboniferous; 340mya; Coates and Teitjen 2018) on the basis of µCT tomography and the revelation of a complete skull and skeleton beneath the tough dermal scales. The pectoral fin was a "double propterygium", rotated with the leading edge dorsalmost. Mesopoma was a zooplankton feeder. Note the shark-like rostrum overhanging the short mandible. Here it nests with Coccocephalicthysand Birgeria, both larger taxa, derived from Howqualepis. |