[PaleoIchthyology • 2026] New Data on the sarcopterygian Koharalepis jarviki (Tetrapodomorpha: Canowindridae) from the Late Devonian of Antarctica, revealed via Synchrotron and Neutron Tomography

 

Koharalepis jarviki Young & Ritchie, 1992  
3D rendering of Koharalepis jarviki (AMF 54325) from neutron tomographic data.

  in Mensforth, Long, Bevitt et Clement, 2026. 

DOI: doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2026.1765271

Artwork: Thomas Turner

Abstract

Introduction: The ‘osteolepiforms’ are an extinct order of lobe-finned fishes that had a cosmopolitan distribution, which are often considered for their proximity to the vertebrate water-to-land transition. The canowindrids are an East Gondwanan clade of tetrapodomorph fishes that exhibit a high level of endemism. However, due to the rarity of canowindrid material and their taphonomy, there is only a single representative preserved wholly in 3D and thus suitable for investigation via modern non-invasive tomography.

Methods: Here we present an updated description of the holotype of Koharalepis jarviki, a canowindrid collected from the Late Devonian Aztec Siltstone formation in Mt Crean, Antarctica, elucidated via a combination of synchrotron and neutron tomography.

Results and discussion: New elements of the braincase, palate, mandible and axial skeleton are revealed for the first time, and previously reported anatomy including the dermal skull and position of the orbits are confirmed. A partial braincase and endocast has been reconstructed, enabling rare insight into the neural anatomy of Koharalepis. Phylogenetic analysis confirms Koharalepis as a member of the Canowindridae with Harajicadectes zhumini recovered as sister taxon. The canowindrids occupy a region of the phylogenetic tree with ‘osteolepidid’ taxa and megalichthyids, crownward of rhizodonts but below tristichopterids and elpistostegalids. This work provides greater support for the taxonomic characters and phylogenetic position of the enigmatic canowindrid family, and the 3D preservation of this material has enabled us to infer some behavioural and ecological insight.

Keywords: 3D modelling, canowindrid, Devonian, endocast, neutron tomography, phylogenetic analysis, Sarcopterygii, tetrapodomorph

3D rendering of Koharalepis jarviki (AMF 54325) from neutron tomographic data in (A) dorsal view, (B) ventral view, (C) anterior view, (D) left lateral view and (E) posterior view.

Et, extra temporal; Ju, jugal; L.Ex, lateral extrascapular; M.Ex, median extrascapular; Op, operculum; Par, parietal; Po, postorbital; PP, postparietal; Sclm, supracleithrum; Sq, squamosal.

Life reconstruction of the Devonian tetrapodomorph fish Koharalepis jarviki.

Artwork: Thomas Turner/Flinders University

 Koharalepis jarviki Young & Ritchie, 1992

Corinne L. Mensforth, John A. Long, Joseph J. Bevitt and Alice M. Clement. 2026. New Data on the sarcopterygian Koharalepis jarviki (Tetrapodomorpha; Canowindridae) from the Late Devonian of Antarctica, revealed via Synchrotron and Neutron Tomography. Front. Ecol. Evol. (14); DOI: doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2026.1765271 [16 April 2026]

[PaleoIchthyology • 2025] Whiteia anniae • A New coelacanth (Sarcopterygii: Actinistia: Coelacanthiformes) from the Early Triassic of Anhui, China

Whiteia anniae

 Xu, Dai, Tan, Yuan, Sun, Liao, Geng et Song, 

in Dai, Xu, Tan, Yuan, Sun, Liao, Geng et Song, 2025. 

DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-20229-w 

Abstract

Coelacanths (e.g., Latimeria) are a curious group of sarcopterygian fishes that survive over hundreds of millions of years and are important in evolutionary biology. In the Early Triassic, coelacanths reached their peak of taxonomic diversity but had only patchy fossil record in Asia. Here, we report the discovery of a new species of the coelacanth genus Whiteia on the basis of two specimens from the late Smithian (~ 249 Ma) marine deposits exposed in eastern Anhui, China. The discovery considerably extends the spatial range of Whiteia in the Early Triassic, and documents the oldest species of the genus in Asia, predating the previously oldest record of whiteiids in this continent by nine million years. The new coelacanth with an estimated total length of at least 420 mm, larger than most of other coelacanths (except Rebellatrix) at its age, represents the largest whiteiid named so far from the Early Triassic and provides an important addition for our understanding the evolution of this major Triassic clade of coelacanths.

Paleogeographical distribution of Whiteia in the Early Triassic and reconstructions of head and pectoral girdle in two selected species. 
(a), 1, Whiteia woodwardi, W. tuberculata, and W. uyenoteruyai, Madagascar; 2, W. africana, South Africa; 3, W. gigantea, Texas (USA); 4, Whiteia sp., British Columbia (Canada); 5, W. neilseni, East Greenland; 6, Whiteia anniae sp. nov. Anhui, China.
 (b), reconstruction of head and pectoral girdle of W. woodwardi.

Whiteia anniae sp. nov. in right lateral view, Holotype (CHU 2016).
 (a), Whole specimen. (b), closeup of the calcified lung (indicated by lower arrows) and lateral line (indicated by upper arrows). (c), a scale near the head. (d), anterior tips of jaws with arrows indicating the fangs in anterior coronoids. (e), denticles on the last ray of the anterior dorsal fin.

Systematic palaeontology

Osteichthyes Huxley, 1880.

Sarcopterygii Romer, 1955.

Actinistia Cope, 1871.

Coelacanthiformes Huxley, 1861.

Whiteiidae Schultze, 1993.

Whiteia Moy-Thomas, 193520.

Whiteia anniae Xu, Dai, Tan, Yuan, Sun, Liao, Geng et Song sp. nov.

Etymology. The specific epithet honors the British fossil hunter Mary Anning and her Chinese fan Anni Dai, whose family contributes to the collection of fossils described here.

Holotype. CHU 2016 (Fig. 2). A laterally compressed specimen with the anal fin and caudal missing, stored in the fossil collection of Chaohu University (CHU).

 

Locality and horizon. He County, Anhui Province; Helongshan Formation, Smithian, Olenekian, Early Triassic.

Diagnosis. A large species of Whiteia characterized by the following set of characters (autapomorphies, those unique among Whiteia, identified with an asterisk): presence of six enlarged conical teeth on premaxilla; presence of coronoid fangs (*); presence of contact of first supraorbital with posterior portion of anterior parietal; anterior extremity of preorbital at level of anterior margin of anterior parietal (*); trapezoidal opercle with rounded anteroventral corner; 49 neural arches and 22 haemal arches in vertebral column; eight rays in anterior dorsal fin; pointed denticles associated with rays of anterior dorsal fin; 14 rays and 15 radials, and 12 rays and 13 radials respectively in dorsal and ventral lobes of caudal fin (*); and scale ornamentation consisting of about 20 elongate ridges converging midline posteriorly (*).

Qing-Hua Dai, Guang-Hui Xu, Feng-Ting Tan, Zhi-Wei Yuan, Cheng-Kai Sun, Jun-ling Liao, Bing-He Geng and Hai-Jun Song. 2025. A New coelacanth (Actinistia, Sarcopterygii) from the Early Triassic of Anhui, China. Scientific Reports. 15, 36320. DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-20229-w  [17 October 2025]

[PaleoIchthyology • 2022] Langlieria smalingi • Second Species of Langlieria (Sarcopterygii: Tristichopteridae) from the Upper Devonian Catskill Formation of Pennsylvania, U.S.A., and A New Phylogenetic Consideration of Tristichopteridae

Langlieria smalingi

Downs & Daeschler, 2022

DOI: 10.1635/053.167.0115 

 

Abstract

A new species of Langlieria is described from the Upper Devonian (Frasnian) Irish Valley Member of the Catskill Formation. The type material was collected from a road cut exposure on the north side of the westbound lanes of Pennsylvania Route 322 west of Port Matilda, Centre County, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. The new species of Langlieria, the second from the Catskill Formation, is represented by high quality cranial material including parietal and postparietal shields, cheek, principal gular, and lower jaw; fin material; and body scales. The new species is the fourth tristichopterid to be described from the Catskill Formation (after Hyneria lindae, Langlieria radiatus, and Eusthenodon bourdoni) and the first from the Irish Valley Member. It is also the first species of Langlieria with a known record in the Frasnian. Sedimentological and stratigraphic data suggest that the discovery site represents a distal, tide-dominated location within the Catskill Delta system with a greater marine influence than has been reconstructed for the previously described Catskill Formation tristichopterids. A new phylogenetic analysis of Tristichopteridae is presented that is the first to include the new species of Langlieria described here and E. bourdoni from the Cogan House Exit Ramp locality (Famennian, Duncannon Member) along U.S. Route 15/Interstate 99. The 50% majority-rule consensus tree from the analysis supports a highly-nested clade of tristichopterids that includes all of the considered species from the Famennian, with the exception of Heddleichthys dalgleisiensis, and additionally includes the Frasnian Langlieria species that is described here.

Langlieria smalingi

Jason P. Downs and Edward B. Daeschler. 2022. Second Species of Langlieria (Tristichopteridae, Sarcopterygii) from the Upper Devonian Catskill Formation of Pennsylvania, U.S.A., and A New Phylogenetic Consideration of Tristichopteridae. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 167(1); 241-260. DOI: 10.1635/053.167.0115 

 

NEW SPECIES OF ANCIENT FISH DISCOVERED ALONG PENNSYLVANIA ROADSIDE

newsblog.drexel.edu/2022/04/26/new-species-of-ancient-fish-discovered-along-pennsylvania-roadside/

[PaleoIchthyology • 2024] Graulia branchiodonta • The most detailed anatomical reconstruction of a Mesozoic coelacanth

Graulia branchiodonta

Manuelli, Mondéjar Fernández, Dollman, Jakata & Cavin, 2024

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0312026 

Abstract

Although the split of coelacanths from other sarcopterygians is ancient, around 420 million years ago, the taxic diversity and the morphological disparity of the clade have remained relatively low, with a few exceptions. This supposedly slow evolutionary pace has earned the extant coelacanth Latimeria the nickname “living fossil”. This status generated much interest in both extinct and extant coelacanths leading to the production of numerous anatomical studies. However, detailed descriptions of extinct taxa are made difficult due to the quality of the fossil material which generally prevents fine comparisons with the extant Latimeria. Here we describe a new genus and species of coelacanth, Graulia branchiodonta gen. et sp. nov. from the Middle Triassic of Eastern France, based on microtomographical imaging using synchrotron radiation. Through exquisite 3D preservation of the specimens, we reconstructed the skeletal anatomy of this new species at an unprecedented level of detail for an extinct coelacanth, and barely achieved for the extant Latimeria. In particular, we identified a well-developed trilobed ossified lung whose function is still uncertain. The skeletal anatomy of G. branchiodonta displays the general Bauplan of Mesozoic coelacanths and a phylogenetic analysis resolved it as a basal Mawsoniidae, shedding light on the early diversification of one of the two major lineages of Mesozoic coelacanths. However, despite its exquisite preservation, G. branchiodonta carries a weak phylogenetic signal, highlighting that the sudden radiation of coelacanths in the Early and Middle Triassic makes it currently difficult to detect synapomorphies and resolve phylogenetic interrelationships among coelacanths in the aftermath of the great Permo-Triassic biodiversity crisis.

Graulia branchiodonta gen. et sp. nov.
Photographs of the specimens in laterodorsal view.
(A) MHNG GEPI V5787, holotype. (B) MHNG GEPI V5788.

Systematic paleontology

Class OSTEICHTHYES Huxley, 1880

Subclass SARCOPTERYGII Romer, 1955

Infraclass ACTINISTIA Cope, 1891

Order COELACANTHIFORMES Huxley, 1861

Suborder LATIMERIOIDEI Schultze, 1993

Family MAWSONIIDAE Schultze, 1993

Graulia branchiodonta gen. et sp. nov. 

Holotype: MHNG GEPI V5787, complete specimen

Diagnosis: Mawsoniid coelacanth characterized by the following association of characters: anteromedial process of the posterior parietal present; one pair of lateral extrascapulars; few pores at the sutural contact with bones enclosing the supraorbital sensory canal.; the presence of anterior branches of the supratemporal commissure; a preoperculum with an anterior blade-like portion; a simple anterior end of the lachrymojugal; the infraorbital sensory canal running at the anterior margin of the postorbital; long teeth on the ceratobranchial tooth plates; denticles on the rays of the first dorsal fin and on the first rays of the dorsal lobe of the caudal fin; tri-lobed unpaired lung; scales ornamented with pointed small tubercles. Only known species, same diagnosis as for the genus.

Locality: Sarraltroff, 57400 Moselle, Grand Est, France.

Etymology: The genus name Graulia refers to the Graoully, Graouli or Graully, a mythical dragon from the folklore of Lorraine, the region of France where the specimens were found. The species name branchiodonta, from the greek βράγχια “gills” and ὀδούς, ὀδόντος “tooth” refers to the large teeth found on the ceratobranchials.

Graulia branchiodonta gen. et sp. nov., interpretative body reconstructions and detailed skull drawings in lateral view.
(A) body profile. (B) lateral view of skull and pectoral girdle. (C) lateral view of skull and pectoral girdle with neurocranium highlighted. (D) lateral view of skull and pectoral girdle with palate and hyobranchial skeleton highlighted.

 

Luigi Manuelli, Jorge Mondéjar Fernández, Kathleen Dollman, Kudakwashe Jakata and Lionel Cavin. 2024.   The most detailed anatomical reconstruction of a Mesozoic coelacanth. PLoS ONE. 19(11): e0312026. DOI: doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0312026 

[PaleoIchthyology • 2024] Ngamugawi wirngarri • A Late Devonian coelacanth reconfigures Actinistian Phylogeny, Disparity, and Evolutionary Ddynamics

 

Ngamugawi wirngarri 

Clement, Cloutier, Lee, King, Vanhaesebroucke, Bradshaw, Dutel, Trinajstic & Long, 2024 

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51238-4

Abstract

The living coelacanth Latimeria (Sarcopterygii: Actinistia) is an iconic, so-called ‘living fossil’ within one of the most apparently morphologically conservative vertebrate groups. We describe a new, 3-D preserved coelacanth from the Late Devonian Gogo Formation in Western Australia. We assemble a comprehensive analysis of the group to assess the phylogeny, evolutionary rates, and morphological disparity of all coelacanths. We reveal a major shift in morphological disparity between Devonian and post-Devonian coelacanths. The newly described fossil fish fills a critical transitional stage in coelacanth disparity and evolution. Since the mid-Cretaceous, discrete character changes (representing major morphological innovations) have essentially ceased, while meristic and continuous characters have continued to evolve within coelacanths. Considering a range of putative environmental drivers, tectonic activity best explains variation in the rates of coelacanth evolution.

 

Ngamugawi wirngarri 
A, B ‘Part a’ of WAM 09.6.148 (holotype) shown in left dorsolateral view and skull close up in left lateral view. C ‘Part b’ of WAM 09.6.148 (holotype) showing all exposed elements; D partial braincase of NMV P231504 (paratype) shown in right lateral view; E cleithrum of NMV P231504 (paratype) in mesial and lateral view; F, G skull reconstruction in dorsal and left lateral view.

Abbreviations: Ang angular, Cl cleithrum, Clv clavicle, Dt dentary, Exc extracleithrum, icj intracranial joint, ioc infraorbital canal, L.Gu lateral gular, Lj lachrymojugal, mc mandibular canal, L.Ex lateral extrascapular, Op operculum, Par Parietal, Po postorbital, Pop preoperculum, Pp postparietal, Pmx premaxilla, Psym parasymphysial, Q quadrate, Ro.p1 anterior pore of the rostral organ, Ro.p2 antero-lateral pore of the rostral organ, Ro.p3 postero-lateral pore of the rostral organ, So supraorbitals, soc supraorbital canal, Sop Suboperculum, Spl splenial, Sq squamosal.

Systematic palaeontology

Osteichthyes Huxley 1880

Sarcopterygii Romer 1955

Actinistia Cope 1871

Ngamugawi wirngarri gen. et sp. nov.

Diagnosis: Ngamugawi wirngarri gen. et sp. nov. is distinguished from all other coelacanths by the following apomorphies: jugal canal with prominent branches; large sensory pore openings between supraorbitals and parietals; teeth on parasymphysial tooth plate, but not on the dentary; prearticular and/or coronoid teeth rounded; cleithra and extracleithra with broad triangular anteroventral overlap for clavicle bearing a large ventral foramen; and scales with long ornamental ridges extending beyond the posterior margin of the base (Figs. 1, 2, Supplementary Fig. 1).

Locality and horizon: Canning Basin, in northern Western Australia, circa 100 km southeast of Fitzroy Crossing; Gogo Formation, early Frasnian, Late Devonian (~384–382 Ma). The holotype was found between Stromatoporoid Camp and Longs Well, the paratype was found in Paddys Valley. 

Etymology: Generic name meaning “ancient fish” in Gooniyandi/Guniyandi, language of the First Nations people from Country around Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Specific name is given in honour of respected Gooniyandi elder and ancestor Wirngarri, who lived in the Emanuel Range. Generic and specific names were both provided to Prof. John Long in September 2023, who has a longstanding and ongoing relationship with the community, with permissions to use the language granted by elder Rosemary Nuggett, on behalf of the Gooniyandi people of the Mimbi community.

Phylogenetic relationships and divergence dates within coelacanths, based on tip-dated Bayesian inference.

A live recreation of the Ngamugawi wirngarri coelacanth in its natural habitat. P3D graphic credit: Katrina Kenny. 

 Illustration by Katrina Kenny (courtesy Flinders University)

 Alice M. Clement, Richard Cloutier, Michael S. Y. Lee, Benedict King, Olivia Vanhaesebroucke, Corey J. A. Bradshaw, Hugo Dutel, Kate Trinajstic and John A. Long. 2024. A Late Devonian coelacanth reconfigures Actinistian Phylogeny, Disparity, and Evolutionary Ddynamics. Nature Communications. 15: 7529. DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51238-4

  

[PaleoIchthyology • 2024] Ferganoceratodus edwardsi • A New Lungfish (Sarcopterygii: Dipnoi) from the Upper Triassic of the Mid-Zambezi Basin, Zimbabwe

Ferganoceratodus edwardsi

Challands, Cavin, Zondo, Munyikwa, Choiniere & Barrett, 2024

Geographic and stratigraphic distributions of Ferganoceratodus spp. and Ptychoceratodus serratus.

DOI: doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2024.2365391  

ABSTRACT

The lungfish, the extant sister group of the tetrapods, have an evolutionary history illustrated by a fossil record extending for ∼420 million years. The post-Paleozoic fossil record of the clade is almost exclusively restricted to sediments deposited in freshwater paleoenvironments and is characterized by an abundance of highly mineralized tooth plates, whereas cranial and postcranial remains are scarce. Here, we report a sample of isolated tooth plates found in the Upper Triassic Pebbly Arkose Formation of the Mid-Zambezi Basin, Zimbabwe. It consists of pterygoid and prearticular tooth plates from adult individuals, plus some dental plates referred to juvenile individuals, which we refer to a new species of Ferganoceratodus. This discovery provides an opportunity to review briefly the tooth plates of the ‘ptychoceratodontid morphotype’ reported from around the world. We discuss how various occurrences previously referred to Ptychoceratodus may be more appropriately referred, with caution, to Ferganoceratodus. We also describe the histology of the tooth plates of the new species and note similarities with other Mesozoic taxa. The scarcity of histological data for Mesozoic lungfish tooth plates compounds the problem of assigning isolated tooth plates to genus and species level. Ferganoceratodus and closely related taxa arose in the Early Triassic in southern Gondwana and diversified worldwide in the Late Triassic. The genus then became more common in Laurasia during the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous and declined thereafter with relict Late Cretaceous occurrences in Madagascar and South America.

 Ferganoceratodus edwardsi. A-E, upper tooth plates; F-J, lower tooth plates. A-B, NHMZ 2432(9), holotype in labial and occlusal views. Arrowhead indicates the surface for a potential symphyseal contact; C, NHMZ 2432(6); D, NHMZ 2432(13); E, NHMZ 2432(5); F, NHMZ 2432(1), juvenile; G, NHMZ 2432(2), juvenile; H, NHMZ 2432(12); I, NMHZ 2432(11); J, NHMZ 2432(14); K, NHMZ 2432(4), juvenile. Scale bars equal 10 mm.

Subclass SARCOPTERYGII Romer, Citation1955

Order DIPNOI Müller, Citation1845

Suborder CERATODONTOIDEI Nikolski, Citation1954 sensu Kemp et al., Citation2017

Family incertae sedis

Genus FERGANOCERATODUS Nessov and Kaznyshkin, Citation1985

FERGANOCERATODUS EDWARDSI sp. nov.

Etymology—Named in honor of Mr. Steve Edwards, discoverer of ‘The Dentists’ and other Late Triassic field sites in Matusadona National Park, who collected the specimens described herein.

Geographic and stratigraphic distributions of Ferganoceratodus spp. and Ptychoceratodus serratus.

 

Tom J. Challands, Lionel Cavin, Michel Zondo, Darlington Munyikwa, Jonah N. Choiniere and Paul M. Barrett. 2024. A New Lungfish from the Upper Triassic of the Mid-Zambezi Basin, Zimbabwe. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.  e2365391. DOI: doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2024.2365391  

[PaleoIchthyology • 2024] Reconstructing an Ancient Fish: Three-dimensional Skeletal Restoration of the Head of Mawsonia (Sarcopterygii: Actinistia) using CT Scan, and an adjusted model for body size estimation in fossil coelacanths

 Head of Mawsonia (Sarcopterygii, Actinistia)

in Toriño, Dutel, Soto, Norbis, Ezquerra & Perea, 2024. 

DOI: 10.1111/joa.14054 

 x.com/PabloTorino4

Abstract

Mawsonia constitutes one of the most conspicuous fossil coelacanth taxa, due to its unique anatomy and possible maximum body size. It typifies Mesozoic coelacanth morphology, before the putative disappearance of the group in the fossil record. In this work, the three-dimensional cranial anatomy and body size estimations of this genus are re-evaluated from a recently described specimen from Upper Jurassic deposits of Uruguay. The 3D restoration was performed directly on the material based on anatomical information provided by the living coelacanth Latimeria and previous two-dimensional restorations of the head of Mawsonia. The montage was then scanned with computed tomography and virtually adjusted to generate an interactive online resource for future anatomical, taxonomic and biomechanical research. In general terms, the model constitutes a tool to improve both the anatomical knowledge of this genus and its comparison with other coelacanths. It also facilitates the evaluation of possible evolutionary trends and the discussion of particular features with potential palaeobiological implications, such as the anterior position of the eye and the development of the pseudomaxillary fold. Regarding the body size, a previous model for body size estimation based on the gular plate was submitted to OLS, RMA, segmented linear and PGLS regressions (including the evaluation of regression statistics, variance analysis, t-tests and residual analysis). The results point to a power relationship between gular and total lengths showing a better support than a simple linear relationship. The new resulting equations were applied to the studied individual and are provided for future estimates. Although an isometric evolutionary growth cannot be rejected with the available evidence, additional models developed with other bones will be necessary to evaluate possible hidden evolutionary allometric trends in this group of fishes, thus avoiding overestimates.

Keywords: 3D reconstruction, body size, coelacanths, computed tomography, Mawsonia

  

 

Pablo Toriño, Hugo Dutel, Matías Soto, Walter Norbis, Víctor Ezquerra and Daniel Perea. 2024. Reconstructing an Ancient Fish: Three-dimensional Skeletal Restoration of the Head of Mawsonia (Sarcopterygii, Actinistia) using CT Scan, and an adjusted model for body size estimation in fossil coelacanths. Journal of Anatomy. DOI: 10.1111/joa.14054 

 x.com/PabloTorino4/status/1791310290782494804

[PaleoIchthyology • 2024] Harajicadectes zhumini • A New Stem-Tetrapod Fish (Sarcopterygii: Tetrapodomorpha) from the Middle–Late Devonian of central Australia

 

 Harajicadectes zhumini

Choo, Holland, Clement, King, Challands, Young & Long, 2024

 DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2023.2285000  

Illustration by Brian Choo

ABSTRACT

Remote Devonian exposures in central Australia have produced significant but highly fragmentary remains of fish-grade tetrapodomorphs. We describe a new tetrapodomorph from the Middle–Late Devonian (Givetian–Frasnian) Harajica Sandstone Member of the Amadeus Basin, Northern Territory, which is represented by several nearly complete skulls along with much of the body and postcranial skeleton. The new form has a posteriorly broad postparietal shield, broad, triangular extratemporal bones, and a lanceolate parasphenoid. The spiracular openings are particularly large, a character also recorded in elpistostegalians and Gogonasus, demonstrating that these structures, suggestive of spiracular surface air-breathing, appeared independently in widely differing nodes of the stem-tetrapod radiation. A phylogenetic analysis resolves the new form within a cluster of osteolepidid-grade taxa, either as part of a polytomy or as the most basally-branching representative of a clade containing ‘osteolepidids,’ canowindrids, and megalichthyids.

  Harajicadectes zhumini from the Harajica Sandstone Member (Givetian–Frasnian), Northern Territory, Australia, Holotype NTM P6410.
A, photographed as a natural mold in situ as it was discovered in 2016; B, as a whitened latex peel; and C, interpretative drawing.

SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY

OSTEICHTHYES Huxley, 1880

SARCOPTERYGII Romer, 1955

TETRAPODOMORPHA Ahlberg, 1991

Genus HARAJICADECTES gen. nov.

HARAJICADECTES ZHUMINI, gen. nov. et sp. nov.

Diagnosis—Tetrapodomorph fish with greatly enlarged spiracular openings, comprising over 20% of the total length of the skull-roof, bordered by the tabular, extratemporal, and squamosal. Parietal and postparietals of roughly equal length. Elongate intertemporal that widens anteriorly. Posterior nasals narrower than the anterior and posterior supraorbitals. Median extrascapular tapers anteriorly into a V-shaped recess formed by the large rounded lateral extrascapulars. Elongate lanceolate parasphenoid with denticles larger on the anterior part of the bone. Scales display ridged ornamentation and lack cosmine. Anterior squamation cycloid, abruptly shifting to a rhombic shape on the rear flank.

Etymology—“Harajica Biter.” Named for the Harajica Sandstone Member and the ancient Greek dēktēs (“biter”) in reference to the animal’s large fangs and presumed predatory habits. The species honors Professor Min Zhu of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China, for his numerous contributions to early vertebrate paleontology.

Type Locality and Horizon—Harajica Sandstone Member of the Parke Siltstone. Locality 6 of Young (Citation1985), about 2 km southwest of the southern end of Stokes Pass, Amadeus Basin, Northern Territory. Givetian–Frasnian in age (Fig. 1).

Life reconstruction of  Harajicadectes zhumini, a 40 cm long lobe-finned fish that is not too distantly related to the fishes that gave rise to the earliest limbed tetrapods.

(Illustration by Brian Choo, Flinders University)

 

 

Brian Choo, Timothy Holland, Alice M. Clement, Benedict King, Tom Challands, Gavin Young and John A. Long. 2024. A New Stem-Tetrapod Fish from the Middle–Late Devonian of central Australia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. e2285000. DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2023.2285000  

[PaleoIchthyology • 2022] Libys callolepis • The First Jurassic Coelacanth from Switzerland

 Libys callolepis 

Ferrante, Menkveld-Gfeller & Cavin, 2022

 

DOI: 10.1186/s13358-022-00257-z 

Researchgate.net/publication/363791599 

  twitter.com/Lionel_Cavin

Abstract

Coelacanths form a clade of sarcopterygian fish represented today by a single genus, Latimeria. The fossil record of the group, which dates back to the Early Devonian, is sparse. In Switzerland, only Triassic sites in the east and southeast of the country have yielded fossils of coelacanths. Here, we describe and study the very first coelacanth of the Jurassic period (Toarcian stage) from Switzerland. The unique specimen, represented by a sub-complete individual, possesses morphological characteristics allowing assignment to the genus Libys (e.g., sensory canals opening through a large groove crossed by pillars), a marine coelacanth previously known only in the Late Jurassic of Germany. Morphological characters are different enough from the type species, Libys polypterus, to erect a new species of Libys named Libys callolepis sp. nov. The presence of Libys callolepis sp. nov. in Lower Jurassic beds extends the stratigraphic range of the genus Libys by about 34 million years, but without increasing considerably its geographic distribution. Belonging to the modern family Latimeriidae, the occurrence of Libys callolepis sp. nov. heralds a long period, up to the present day, of coelacanth genera with very long stratigraphic range and reduced morphological disparity, which have earned them the nickname of ‘living fossils’.

Keywords: Sarcopterygii, Actinistia, Libys, New species, Mesozoic, Toarcian, Morphology

Skeleton of Libys callolepis sp. nov. on the part (holotype, NMBE 5034073).
 A Photos with osteological details: 1, denticles on the proximal fin rays of the caudal fin. 2, Postparietal shield with the otic sensory canal opening as a deep groove crossed by pillars (white arrowhead). 3, Posterior parietal and the supraorbitals with their pillars (white arrowhead). 4, Consolidated snout with the anterior opening for the rostral organ (white arrowhead). 5, Teeth on the prearticular. B Semi-interpretative line drawing of the specimen

Libys callolepis sp. nov.

Diagnosis: Libys species with the postparietal shield about half the length of the parietonasal shield (the parietonasal is then proportionally shorter than in the type species). The teeth covering the prearticular are very small, and rounded and smooth. Between 41–47 neural arches. Fin rays are slender than in the type species and then not expanded. The scales are strongly ornamented with irregularly sized and elongated round-to-ovoid ridges disposed along a longitudinal axis.

Etymology: From the ancient Greek καλός, kalós, (‘beautiful’, ‘nice’) and λεπίς, lepís, (‘scale’) in reference to the nicely ornamented scales of the species, which differentiates it from the type species.

Holotype and only known specimen: NMBE 5034072 and 5034073, a sub-complete specimen preserved in right lateral view as part and counterpart. Most of the bones, including the scales on the body, are preserved in anatomical position and only the bones of the cheek and the jaw are missing. The specimen is kept in the collections of the Natural History Museum Bern (Canton of Bern, Switzerland).

Horizon and type locality: Toarcian (Lower Jurassic), Creux de l’Ours section, locality of Les Pueys near the Teysachaux summit (Canton of Fribourg, Switzerland).

 

Skeleton of  Libys callolepis sp. nov. on the counterpart (holotype, NMBE 5034072).
A Photos with osteological details: 1, articular head of the scapulocoracoid. 2, Scales on the flank immediately beneath the first anterior dorsal fin. 3, Scales of the lateral line showing the ornamental pattern with the larger central tubercles (white arrowheads point, showed only on one scale). 4, Scales on the ventral flank from the pelvic to the anal fin. 5, Axial mesomere (white arrowhead) surrounded by some fin rays of the anal fin. 6, Axial mesomeres (white arrowhead) partially covered by sediment in the pelvic fin. B Semi-interpretative line drawing of the specimen

Christophe Ferrante, Ursula Menkveld-Gfeller and Lionel Cavin. 2022. The First Jurassic Coelacanth from Switzerland. Swiss Journal of Palaeontology. 141: 15. DOI: 10.1186/s13358-022-00257-z

 Researchgate.net/publication/363791599_The_first_Jurassic_coelacanth_from_Switzerland

  twitter.com/Lionel_Cavin/status/1575729513513684993

[PaleoIchthyology • 2023] An enigmatic large mawsoniid coelacanth (Sarcopterygii: Actinistia) from the Upper Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay Formation of England

  Mawsoniidae gen. et sp. indet. (MJML K785).

in Toriño, Gausden, Etches, Rankin, Marshall & Gostling, 2023. 

DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2022.2125813 

  twitter.com/PabloTorino4

  Researchgate.net/publication/364672796

(artwork by S. Gausden).

 

Abstract

A large mawsoniid coelacanth from the lower part of the marine Kimmeridge Clay Formation of England (Kimmeridgian, Upper Jurassic) is studied here. The material is constituted by a group of bones from the head and shoulder girdle of a considerably large individual (estimated length ca. 1.5 m), including the left angular, left dentary, left prearticular, left palatoquadrate complex, both ceratohyals and right cleithrum. Characters such as the coarse external ornamentation of the angular, and the robustness of the quadrate and the cleithrum allow classification of the individual as a member of the Mawsoniidae; whereas the configuration of external bones of the lower jaw (ornamentation of the angular constituted mainly by longitudinal ridges, the presence of a lateral swelling in the dentary) indicates stronger Gondwanan affinities than previously expected (i.e., with the genus Mawsonia, up to now only recorded in South America by the end of the Jurassic). Considering the above, two alternative evolutionary, paleobiogeographic, and taxonomic scenarios are discussed: (1) the new individual can be referred to the European mawsoniid genus Trachymetopon (Lower–Middle Jurassic), in which case it should be assumed this genus reached the Upper Jurassic, and with a morphological variability higher than previously suspected (including some characters previously assumed as diagnostic for Mawsonia). Or (2) an unknown Mawsonia-like form was present in the Upper Jurassic of Europe. The last scenario puts the identification of isolated elements of European Jurassic giant mawsoniids in a new complex taxonomic and paleobiogeographic context, which will deserve further research.

  

 

A, stratigraphic profile of the lower part of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation indicating the level where the material was collected (adapted from Gallois, 2020); B, photograph of the collecting site at Ringstead Bay (one of the authors –S. Etches– for scale).

  Mawsoniidae gen. et sp. indet. (MJML K785).
A, schematic anatomical restoration of the head in left lateral view, showing the preserved bones (missing gray parts based on Maisey 1986; Toriño et al., 2021a); B, hypothetical life restoration

(artwork by S. Gausden).

 A, map showing the geographic provenance of the material studied in this work; B, paleogeographic context during Kimmeridge Clay times, with special reference to Laurasian masses (based on the reconstructions of Cox, 2020 after Callomon, 1985; Thierry, 2000; Gallois, 2020; Stumpf et al., 2021)

  

 

 

Pablo Toriño, Shane F. Gausden, Steve Etches, Kathryn Rankin, John E. A. Marshall and Neil J. Gostling. 2023. An enigmatic large mawsoniid coelacanth (Sarcopterygii, Actinistia) from the Upper Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay Formation of England. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 42(1);  e2125813. DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2022.2125813 

  twitter.com/PabloTorino4/status/1585261494916235265

 Researchgate.net/publication/364672796_An_enigmatic_large_mawsoniid_coelacanth_from_the_Upper_Jurassic_Kimmeridge_Clay_Formation_of_England