Fish
Lepisosteus
Gar
Lepisosteus is the gar, whose diamond-shaped ganoid scales are the most common fish fossil in Hell Creek and Judith River microsites and whose complete skeletons from the Green River Formation are showpieces. Gar scales are shiny, enamel-covered and interlock; vertebrae are opisthocoelous. Green River gars are often partially disarticulated and heavily restored.
| Phylum | Chordata |
|---|---|
| Class | Actinopterygii |
| Order | Lepisosteiformes |
| Family | Lepisosteidae |
| Group | Fish |
| Rank (PBDB) | genus· Paleobiology Database |
| Author | Agassiz 1843· Paleobiology Database |
| Classification (PBDB) | Chordata › Osteichthyes › Lepisosteiformes › Lepisosteidae· Paleobiology Database |
| Range (PBDB) | 139–0 Ma· Paleobiology Database |
| PBDB occurrences | 429· Paleobiology Database |
Photographs
Elsewhere
- WoRMS AphiaID: 157871
- GBIF: 2346691
- PBDB: 35150
- Wikidata: Q133479
- PBDB taxon page
- Wikipedia: Lepisosteus
- PBDB search: Lepisosteus
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Lepisosteus" (Taxon). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-19. https://stratum.black/study/taxa/lepisosteus. Accessed 2026-09-20.
@misc{stratum-lepisosteus,
title = {Lepisosteus},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/taxa/lepisosteus}},
year = {2026},
note = {Taxon article, Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-19; sources: stratum, pbdb, wikidata, commons, nhm. Accessed 2026-09-20.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.