View source for Archaeus

{{Short description|Extinct genus of fishes}}{{Distinguish|Archeus|Archaea|Arceus}}{{Automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = [[Early Eocene]] to [[Early Oligocene]], {{fossil range|56.0|28.1}}
| image = Archaeus_species.JPG
| image_caption = ''A. glarisianus'' & "''A. brevis''"
| taxon = Archaeus
| authority = Agassiz, 1844
| type_species = ''Archaeus glarisianus'' <br><small>[[Louis Agassiz|Agassiz]] 1844</small>
| subdivision_ranks = [[Species]]
| subdivision = See text
| synonyms = * ''Archaeoides'' <br/><small> Rath 1859</small>
}}

'''''Archaeus''''' (Greek for "ancient one") is an extinct [[genus]] of marine [[carangidae|jackfish]] from the [[Paleogene]] of Europe, where it inhabited the former [[Tethys Ocean]]. The oldest species, ''A. oblongus'' is from the early [[Ypresian]] epoch of [[Eocene]] [[Turkmenistan]], and the last species, ''A. glarisianus'' and ''A. solus'', are from the early to middle [[Rupelian]], of the [[Matt Formation]] of [[Glarus|Canton Glarus]], [[Switzerland]] and the [[Pshekha Formation]] of [[North Caucasus]], Russia.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=PBDB |url=https://paleobiodb.org/classic/basicTaxonInfo?taxon_no=35949 |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=paleobiodb.org}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Bannikov |first=A. F. |last2=Erebakan |first2=I. G. |date=2023-04-01 |title=A New Species of Horse Mackerel Fish of the Genus Archaeus (Carangidae, Percomorpha) from the Lower Oligocene of the North Caucasus |url=https://doi.org/10.1134/S0031030123020041 |journal=Paleontological Journal |language=en |volume=57 |issue=2 |pages=199–205 |doi=10.1134/S0031030123020041 |issn=1555-6174|url-access=subscription }}</ref> 

In life, ''Archaeus'' species would have resembled a small [[Caranx|trevally]], though, ''Archaeus'' had a proportionally smaller mouth, and larger eyes, and the tail was more fan-shaped, rather than crescent-shaped.
[[File:Archaeoides.JPG|left|thumb|Fossil of ''A. glarisianus'']]
The following species are known:<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />
* ''A. glarisianus'' <small>Agassiz, 1844</small> (Early Oligocene of Switzerland and Germany)
* ''A. oblongus'' <small>Daniltshenko, 1968</small> (Early Eocene of [[Danata Formation]], Turkmenistan)
* ''A. solus'' <small>Bannikov & Erebakan, 2023</small> (Early Oligocene of North Caucasus, Russia)<ref name=":1" />
The former species ''A. brevis'' is no longer considered valid. A specimen of ''A. glarisianus'' from the Oligocene of [[Abkhazia]] is now thought to represent an extinct species of ''[[Caranx]]'', ''C. daniltshenkoi''.<ref name=":1" /> [[File:Archaeus oblongus.jpg|thumb|left|''A. oblongus'' from Eocene Turkmenistan]]

==References==
<references />
* ''Catalogue of the fossil fishes in the British museum'' (Natural history) [https://books.google.com/books?id=Ph4rAAAAYAAJ&dq=archaeus+brevis&pg=PR32]
* PROKOFIEV Artém M. ''The Late Paleocene fish fauna of Turkmenistan''

{{Taxonbar|from=Q776389}}
[[Category:Carangidae]]
[[Category:Prehistoric percomorph genera]]
[[Category:Ypresian genus first appearances]]
[[Category:Rupelian genus extinctions]]
[[Category:Paleogene fish of Europe]]
[[Category:Fossils of Turkmenistan]]
[[Category:Fossils of Russia]]
[[Category:Fossils of Switzerland]]
[[Category:Fossils of Germany]]
[[Category:Fossil taxa described in 1844]]


{{paleo-rayfinned-fish-stub}}
[[Category:Taxa named by Louis Agassiz]]