Hypsidoris

{{Short description|Extinct genus of fishes}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| fossil_range = {{Fossil range|Middle Eocene}}

| image = Hypsidoris farsonensis AMNH 6888.jpg

| image_alt = H. farsonensis specimen, American Museum of Natural History

| image_caption = H. farsonensis specimen, American Museum of Natural History

| display_parents = 3

| parent_authority = Grande, 1987

| taxon = Hypsidoris

| authority = Lundberg & Case, 1970

| type_species = Hypsidoris farsonensis

| type_species_authority = Lundberg & Case, 1970

| subdivision_ranks = Species

| subdivision = {{center|

Hypsidoris farsonensis
Lundberg & Case, 1970

Hypsidoris oregonensis
Grande & de Pinna, 1998

}}

}}

Hypsidoris (from {{langx|el|ῠ̔́ψος}} {{Transliteration|el|hypsi}}, 'height' and {{langx|el|δῶρις}} {{Transliteration|el|dôris}} 'dagger'){{cite journal |last1=Lundberg |first1=John G. |last2=Case |first2=Gerard R. |title=A New Catfish from the Eocene Green River Formation, Wyoming |journal=Journal of Paleontology |date=1970 |volume=44 |issue=3 |page=452 |jstor=1302580 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1302580 |issn=0022-3360}} is an extinct genus of catfish, classified within its own family Hypsidoridae, from the Eocene epoch of North America.

Hypsidoris was about {{convert|20|cm|in}} long, and looked similar to the modern catfish, also possessing sensitive barbels used to detect prey in murky waters. It also had a vibration-sensitive organ called the Weberian apparatus, which consisted of specialized vertebrae at the front of the spinal column which passed vibrations to the inner ear, using the swim bladder as a resonance chamber. For defense against predators, Hypsidoris had large spines at the front of each pectoral fin. Like modern catfish, it would probably have eaten smaller fish, along with crayfish and other bottom-dwelling creatures.{{cite book |editor=Palmer, D.|year=1999 |title= The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals|publisher= Marshall Editions|location=London|page= 40|isbn= 1-84028-152-9}}

There are two species. H. farsonensis is from the Early Middle Eocene of Wyoming and H. oregonensis is from the Middle Eocene of Oregon.{{cite book|title=Fishes of the World|last=Nelson|first=Joseph S.|publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc|year=2006|isbn=0-471-25031-7}}