genus of marine fishes very closely related to the first teleosts, the dominant group of fishes in the world today. Leptolepis was abundant in the world's Mesozoic seas and was herringlike in size and appearance. Fragmentary remains from earlier and later rocks may indicate an earlier origin and longer persistence for the genus than the Jurassic period dates indicate. In many anatomical details, Leptolepis is intermediate between the more primitive holosteans and the more advanced teleost fish.