A rare, articulated sturgeon (Chondrostei: Acipenseriformes) from the Upper Cretaceous of Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada

A rare, articulated sturgeon fossil from the Upper Cretaceous of Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada, has been identified as a new genus and species, †Anchiacipenser acanthaspis. This discovery is significant because articulated sturgeon skeletons are uncommon in North American Upper Cretaceous deposits. The specimen, preserved with a skull and anterior half to two-thirds of the body, exhibits unique diagnostic features such as strongly ornamented dermal cranial bones, large dorsal scutes with median spines, and extensive smaller scales on the flanks. Phylogenetic analysis confirms its placement within the Acipenseridae family, though its exact relationships remain unclear. This finding contributes to our understanding of sturgeon evolution during the Late Cretaceous period.

Sato, H., Murray, A. M., Vernygora, O., & Currie, P. J. (2018). A rare, articulated sturgeon (Chondrostei: Acipenseriformes) from the Upper Cretaceous of Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 38(4), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2018.1488137