Barameda (Indigenous Australian language: "fish trap"[1]) is a
genus of
rhizodontlobe-finned fishes which lived during the
Tournaisian stage near the start of the
Carboniferous period in
Australia; fossils of the genus have been reported from the
Snowy Plains Formation.[2] The largest member of this genus, Barameda decipiens, reached an estimated length of around 3–4 metres (9.8–13.1 ft),[3] while smallest species, B. mitchelli is estimated to have had a length of about 35 centimetres (14 in).[4]
Description
The Barameda had an extremely elongated and thick body typical of
Carboniferousrhizodonts. It was covered with moderately thin, cycloidal
scales,[1] with thick bony plates covering its head and
operculum (gill flaps), a tightly fused
Skull roof, and extremely prominent, sharp fangs, devoid of serrations or cutting edges. Its scales preserved a
lateral line.[2] Originally it was estimated to have a typical narrow
pectoral fin, however a later study shows that it had a wider pectoral fin like other Carboniferous rhizodonts.[5]
Paleoecology
Along with other rhizodonts, Barameda seems likely to have been a benthic
ambush predator, and its pectoral fins support that interpretation.[5]