Kingdom Animalia Subphylum Vertebrata Superclass Osteichthyes Scientific name Protobalistum imperiale | Phylum Chordata Infraphylum Gnathostomata Class Actinopterygii Rank Genus | |
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Similar Eospinus, Proaracana, Eolactoria, Aracanidae, Tetraodontiformes | ||
Protobalistum imperiale is an extinct prehistoric tetraodontid bony fish that lived from the Lutetian epoch of Eocene Monte Bolca.
In life, it would have resembled a somewhat-flattened boxfish with five massive spines along the anterior-dorsal side, with the longest spine directly above the forehead, and the shortest spine directly in front of the dorsal fin. It is distinguished from its close, sympatric relative, Spinacanthus, in that its scales are large, and form a sort of armor. (In S. cuneiformis, the individual scales are relatively small, and do not touch each other).
P. imperiale and Spinacanthus were a part of the ecosystem of the lagoon that would become Monte Bolca. It has been suggested that, because of their similarity to boxfish, and due to their close relation to modern-day triggerfish, spinacanthids may have preyed on shellfish and small fish.