New information about late cretaceous pycnodont fishes (Actinoptergyii, Pycnodontiformes) from the near east

Abstract

Over roughly the last decade, the Lebanese Cenomanian localities have revealed high numbers of newly discovered pycnodont taxa and even two new families of pycnodonts. Here, two new taxa of pycnodont fishes from the Near East are presented, one from Lebanon and the other from Israel. The new Lebanese specimens show us that Lebanon is still a major site for discovering new pycnodont taxa and can give major insights into their evolution and possible life history. Conversely, the new taxon from Israel shows that lesser known fossiliferous sites may tell us more about the true state of diversity of pycnodonts in the Late Cretaceous.

Keywords

• neopterygii
• lebanon
• israel
• cenomanian
• new species