Decades of Excavation Unveil Name for Ancient Predatory Fish from Central Australia: Meet the 380-Million-Year-Old Species

A predatory fish that lived over 380 million years ago in central Australia has been discovered through the fossils found in the red sandstone outcrops of the region. The fish, named Harajicadectes zhumini, is the first complete bony fish found from Devonian rocks in central Australia. The discovery is the result of 50 years of exploration and research, with initial discoveries made in 1973 by palaeontologist Gavin Young. The fossils found include fragments of other fishes, as well as jaw fragments of the previously unknown tetrapodomorph. Harajicadectes is believed to have been an apex predator, with a large mouth lined with sharp teeth and triangular fangs. It possesses anatomical traits from different tetrapodomorph lineages, suggesting convergent evolution. One of its most notable features is the presence of two large spiracles on the top of its skull, which are typically only seen as small slits in early bony fishes. Similar spiracles have been observed in other Devonian fishes and are also seen in living bichirs, suggesting a possible link to air breathing in backboned animals.