Dibango volans
- 演化之聲
- Mar 12
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 10
Age
Paleogene（Eocene）
50 Ma
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopteri
Superorder: Percomorpha
Genus: Dibango
Species: Dibango volans
Morphological Description
Two known specimens of Dibango volans preserve only the anterior portion of the body. Their head lengths measure 6.6 mm and 5.7 mm respectively, and both specimens lack the caudal region. The preserved portions of the bodies measure approximately 5.6 cm and 3.3 cm in length. The premaxilla and dentary bear numerous small conical teeth, whereas the maxilla is toothless.
The body is extremely elongated and slender, with a strongly reduced abdominal region containing only three abdominal vertebrae. This indicates that the abdominal cavity was extremely small. The dorsal, pelvic, and anal fins are all markedly enlarged.
The dorsal fin is elongated and flag-like, while the pelvic fins are long and slender. The pelvic bone projects ventrally from the body wall and forms a very elongated structure extending downward from the trunk. Because the abdominal cavity was so reduced, it has been proposed that the digestive tract may have extended outside the body along this ventral structure.
This condition resembles the external gut found in larvae of certain modern teleost fishes. However, the fossil skeleton is highly ossified, indicating that the known specimens represent fully grown individuals rather than larvae. Therefore, Dibango volans is interpreted as a paedomorphic fish that retained larval-like traits even in adulthood.
The entire body is covered with tiny dermal spinules. Each spinule consists of a stellate basal plate supporting a single upright spine. Ultraviolet examination of the holotype reveals preserved pigment patches beneath the abdominal vertebrae and behind the coracoid–pelvic complex.
Etymology
The genus name Dibango honors the Cameroonian musician Manu Dibango (1933–2020).
The species name volans is derived from Latin, meaning "flying" or "moving swiftly."
Biological Description
The species was originally described as early as 1796 under the name Pegasus volans. However, the genus Pegasus had already been established earlier for seamoths, making the name a junior homonym and therefore invalid. For more than two centuries the fossil continued to be referred to under this problematic designation until it was formally reassigned to the new genus Dibango in 2025.
The fossils were discovered in the Monte Bolca Lagerstätte in northern Italy, an early Eocene deposit famous for its exceptionally preserved fish fauna. At present only two specimens are known: the holotype MNHN.F.BOL65/BOL66 and the referred specimen MCSNV T.293/T.294.
Because of its unusual anatomy, the precise evolutionary placement of this species remains uncertain. It can only be broadly assigned to the perch-like radiation of spiny-rayed fishes (Percomorpha). The ecology of the animal is also largely speculative. Comparisons with the pelagic larvae of modern fishes suggest that its elongated fin rays and associated skin flaps may have served functions such as camouflage, predator deception, sensory perception, or prey attraction. If so, Dibango volans may have used these structures in ways similar to those observed in certain modern pelagic fish larvae.
（Author: Bai Leng）
Reference
Davesne, D., Carnevale, G. (2025). An enigmatic teleost fish from the Eocene of Bolca (Italy) with unusual larval-like features. Papers in Palaeontology.
+45.6, +11.2
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