Kindleia fragosa

Kindleia is a common amiid from the Judith River Formation localities but has not been previously reported from the Campanian of Alberta, Montana, and Wyoming. The species was originally described from the upper Edmonton Formation of Alberta. It is now known from the Judith River Formation from an assortment of skull fragments, dentaries, and vertebrae similar to the material from the later Maestrichtian and Paleocene beds of Montana and Alberta. The cranial and post-cranial anatomy has been dealt with in great detail by Estes (1964, pp. 29 - 35), who made comparisons with Recent Amia calva and found a close resemblance. A left vomer, AMNH 10109, is referred to Kindleia fragosa. The medial edge is relatively straight, whereas the lateral side has a concave outline. The posterior part of the vomer is broken but was probably elongated in the manner illustrated by Estes (1964, p. 37, fig. 17 a, right). The Judith River Formation specimen is larger than the figured specimen from the Lance Formation but is otherwise indistinguishable from that of Paleocene material. The vomer contains about 13 teeth. The anterior teeth, apparently with the enamel missing or imperfectly developed, are slightly more conical in shape than the posterior teeth. The central and the posterior teeth are pillarlike cylindrical pegs.