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Argyriou T, Davesne D. Offshore marine actinopterygian assemblages from the Maastrichtian-Paleogene of the Pindos Unit in Eurytania, Greece. PeerJ 2021; 9:e10676. [PMID: 33552722 PMCID: PMC7825367 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The fossil record of marine ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii) from the time interval surrounding the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) extinction is scarce at a global scale, hampering our understanding of the impact, patterns and processes of extinction and recovery in the marine realm, and its role in the evolution of modern marine ichthyofaunas. Recent fieldwork in the K–Pg interval of the Pindos Unit in Eurytania, continental Greece, shed new light on forgotten fossil assemblages and allowed for the collection of a diverse, but fragmentary sample of actinopterygians from both late Maastrichtian and Paleocene rocks. Late Maastrichtian assemblages are dominated by Aulopiformes (†Ichthyotringidae, †Enchodontidae), while †Dercetidae (also Aulopiformes), elopomorphs and additional, unidentified teleosts form minor components. Paleocene fossils include a clupeid, a stomiiform and some unidentified teleost remains. This study expands the poor record of body fossils from this critical time interval, especially for smaller sized taxa, while providing a rare, paleogeographically constrained, qualitative glimpse of open-water Tethyan ecosystems from both before and after the extinction event. Faunal similarities between the Maastrichtian of Eurytania and older Late Cretaceous faunas reveal a higher taxonomic continuum in offshore actinopterygian faunas and ecosystems spanning the entire Late Cretaceous of the Tethys. At the same time, the scarcity of Paleocene findings offers tentative clues for a depauperate state of Tethyan ichthyofaunas in the aftermath of the K–Pg Extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thodoris Argyriou
- UMR 7207 (MNHN-Sorbonne Université-CNRS) Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie, Museum National d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Donald Davesne
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,UMR 7205 (MNHN-Sorbonne Université-CNRS-EPHE), Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité, Museum National d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
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Capobianco A, Beckett HT, Steurbaut E, Gingerich PD, Carnevale G, Friedman M. Large-bodied sabre-toothed anchovies reveal unanticipated ecological diversity in early Palaeogene teleosts. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:192260. [PMID: 32537214 PMCID: PMC7277248 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.192260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Many modern groups of marine fishes first appear in the fossil record during the early Palaeogene (66-40 Ma), including iconic predatory lineages of spiny-rayed fishes that appear to have originated in response to ecological roles left empty after the Cretaceous/Palaeogene extinction. The hypothesis of extinction-mediated ecological release likewise predicts that other fish groups have adopted novel predatory ecologies. Here, we report remarkable trophic innovation in early Palaeogene clupeiforms (herrings and allies), a group whose modern representatives are generally small-bodied planktivores. Two forms, the early Eocene (Ypresian) †Clupeopsis from Belgium and a new genus from the middle Eocene (Lutetian) of Pakistan, bear conspicuous features indicative of predatory ecology, including large size, long gapes and caniniform dentition. Most remarkable is the presence of a single, massive vomerine fang offset from the midline in both. Numerous features of the neurocranium, suspensorium and branchial skeleton place these taxa on the engraulid (anchovy) stem as the earliest known representatives of the clade. The identification of large-bodied, piscivorous anchovies contributes to an emerging picture of a phylogenetically diverse guild of predatory ray-finned fishes in early Palaeogene marine settings, which include completely extinct lineages alongside members of modern marine groups and taxa that are today restricted to freshwater or deep-sea environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessio Capobianco
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Author for correspondence: Alessio Capobianco e-mail:
| | - Hermione T. Beckett
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Biology, King's High School for Girls, Warwick, UK
| | - Etienne Steurbaut
- Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Philip D. Gingerich
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Giorgio Carnevale
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Matt Friedman
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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Marramà G, Bannikov AF, Kriwet J, Carnevale G. An Eocene paraclupeid fish (Teleostei, Ellimmichthyiformes) from Bolca, Italy: the youngest marine record of double-armoured herrings. PAPERS IN PALAEONTOLOGY 2019; 5:83-98. [PMID: 30854219 PMCID: PMC6392134 DOI: 10.1002/spp2.1230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
A new double-armoured herring of the clupeomorph order Ellimmichthyiformes, Eoellimmichthys superstes gen. et sp. nov., is described herein based on a single partially complete specimen from the early Eocene Pesciara site of the Bolca Konservat-Lagerstätte, north-eastern Italy. The fossil documented herein exhibits a unique combination of features (e.g. ornamentation of the skull bones; medial fusion of the contralateral halves of the neural arches of abdominal vertebrae; teeth on endopterygoid, parhypural fused to the first preural centrum; presence of a short series of 6 (or 7) predorsal scutes increasing in size posteriorly; postpelvic scutes bearing very prominent spines), which clearly supports its recognition as a new genus and species of the family Paraclupeidae. Evidence is provided to show that Eoellimmichthys gen. nov. is most closely related phylogenetically to the Early Cretaceous genus Ellimmichthys. The new taxon described herein represents the youngest marine occurrence of the family Paraclupeidae and, more generally, of the order Ellimmichthyiformes, suggesting that the shallow marine settings of the Tethys might have favoured the persistence of certain fish lineages that were severely affected by the end-Cretaceous mass extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Marramà
- Department of PalaeontologyUniversity of ViennaAlthanstrasse 141090ViennaAustria
| | - Alexandre F. Bannikov
- Borisyak Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of SciencesProfsoyuznaya 123Moscow117647Russia
| | - Jürgen Kriwet
- Department of PalaeontologyUniversity of ViennaAlthanstrasse 141090ViennaAustria
| | - Giorgio Carnevale
- Dipartimento di Scienze della TerraUniversità degli Studi di Torinovia Valperga Caluso 3510125TorinoItaly
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Marramà G, Carnevale G, Engelbrecht A, Claeson KM, Zorzin R, Fornasiero M, Kriwet J. A synoptic review of the Eocene (Ypresian) cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyes: Holocephali, Elasmobranchii) of the Bolca Konservat-Lagerstätte, Italy. PALAONTOLOGISCHE ZEITSCHRIFT 2018; 92:283-313. [PMID: 29875508 PMCID: PMC5970259 DOI: 10.1007/s12542-017-0387-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2017] [Accepted: 09/02/2017] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Here, we review and discuss the records and taxonomy of the Ypresian (Eocene) chondrichthyans from the famous Bolca Konservat-Lagerstätte in northeastern Italy. Despite the outstanding diversity and the numerous studies focusing on the actinopterygian faunas from Pesciara and Monte Postale, the current knowledge about the systematics, taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships of the cartilaginous fishes from these Eocene sites remains elusive and largely inadequate. The celebrated Eocene Bolca Lagerstätte has yielded several exquisitely preserved articulated remains of chondrichthyan fishes in which delicate structures and soft tissues are preserved, as well as isolated teeth. The cartilaginous fish assemblage of Bolca comprises at least 17 species-level taxa belonging to 10 families in 6 orders, including selachians (Carcharhiniformes, Lamniformes), batoids (Torpediniformes, Myliobatiformes, Rajiformes) and holocephalans (Chimaeriformes). The occurrence of holocephalans represented by an isolated fin-spine of the chimeroid Ischyodus in the Bolca assemblage is reported here for the first time and represents the first record of chimeroids in the Eocene of Italy and also southern Europe. The Bolca chondrichthyan assemblage is remarkably different from those of other contemporaneous Boreal or Tethyan deposits, suggesting that its taxonomic composition is largely influenced by the palaeoenvironmental context. However, this synoptic review also highlights the importance of detailed revisions of all chondrichthyan remains from the Bolca Konservat-Lagerstätten.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Marramà
- Department of Palaeontology, Geozentrum, University of Vienna, Althanstraβe 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Giorgio Carnevale
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Torino, via Valperga Caluso 35, 10125 Turin, Italy
| | - Andrea Engelbrecht
- Department of Palaeontology, Geozentrum, University of Vienna, Althanstraβe 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Kerin M. Claeson
- Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19103 USA
| | - Roberto Zorzin
- Sezione di Geologia e Paleontologia, Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Lungadige Porta Vittoria 9, 37129 Verona, Italy
| | | | - Jürgen Kriwet
- Department of Palaeontology, Geozentrum, University of Vienna, Althanstraβe 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
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Marramà G, Claeson KM, Carnevale G, Kriwet J. Revision of Eocene electric rays (Torpediniformes, Batomorphii) from the Bolca Konservat-Lagerstätte, Italy, reveals the first fossil embryo in situ in marine batoids and provides new insights into the origin of trophic novelties in coral reef fishes. JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC PALAEONTOLOGY 2017; 16:1189-1219. [PMID: 30210265 PMCID: PMC6130837 DOI: 10.1080/14772019.2017.1371257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2017] [Accepted: 07/28/2017] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The Eocene electric ray †Titanonarke Carvalho, 2010 from the Bolca Konservat-Lagerstätte, north-eastern Italy, is redescribed in detail based upon new material from recent excavations. This taxon exhibits a combination of features (large voids between the pectoral and the axial skeleton filled in life by electric organs, anteriorly directed fan-shaped antorbital cartilages, lack of dermal denticles, long prepelvic processes, and rounded basibranchial copula with a small caudal tab) that clearly supports its assignment to the order Torpediniformes. The analysis of new material also demonstrates that the previous apparent absence of typical narcinoid characters used to diagnose †Titanonarke was the result of taphonomic biases. †Titanonarke shares at least three synapomorphies (presence of a rostral fontanelle, low number of ribs, and rostral cartilage connected to the antorbital cartilage through lateral appendices) with the extant genera Benthobatis, Diplobatis, Discopyge and Narcine, with which it forms a clade (family Narcinidae) recognized herein as unquestionably monophyletic. Moreover, based upon a single specimen of †Titanonarke that exhibits a unique combination of morphometric and meristic features, a new species of Eocene numbfish †T. megapterygia sp. nov., is recognized. The presence of several specimens representing different ontogenetic stages of at least two species of numbfishes suggests a close association of this taxon with shallow-water habitats corresponding to coral reefs as hypothesized for the Monte Postale palaeoenvironment. The occurrence of a fossilized marine batoid embryo is reported here for the first time. Moreover, the analysis of the gut contents suggests that the dietary adaptations of †Titanonarke can be related, at least in part, to an opportunistic strategy in the context of abundant larger foraminifera in the Monte Postale palaeobiotope, suggesting that this kind of feeding mode, known to occur in present-day reefs, already was realized 50 million years ago.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Marramà
- University of Vienna, Department of Palaeontology, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna
| | - Kerin M. Claeson
- Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA
| | - Giorgio Carnevale
- Università degli Studi di Torino, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, via Valperga Caluso 35, 10125,Torino
| | - Jürgen Kriwet
- University of Vienna, Department of Palaeontology, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna
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