#2830 - Megalampris keyesi
Named in honour of the New Zealand palaeontologist Ian Warwick Keyes (1938-2004).
New Zealand's largest fossil bony fish, twice the size of any of its living relatives, at over 4m long. It was found in the Otekaike Limestone, upper Duntroonian stage, Upper Oligocene (26 Mya).
Megalampris keyesi and the squalodontid-like dolphin Waipatia maerewhenua that I've discussed earlier, by Apokryltaros.
The living Opah species (Lampris) are deep-bodied fish of the open ocean found in warm and temperate waters worldwide. In May 2015, L. guttatus was found to keep its entire body at 5 °C above the surrounding water. The fish generates heat with continuous movements of its pectoral fins - the muscles are insulated by a one-cm-thick layer of fat - and heat-exchangers in the gills. This is very useful when in pursuit of fish, squid, and krill without that metabolic advantage.
Otago Museum, Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand
