A new specimen of Birgeria liui (Osteichthyes, Actinopterygii) from the Longobardian (Ladinian, Middle Triassic) of Xingyi, Guizhou Province, South China

Abstract

Birgeria was one of the largest carnivorous ishes from the Triassic, spanning almost the entire period and, with an almost cosmopolitan distribution. Birgeria liui was originally described based on the incomplete holotype from the Middle Triassic marine Falang Formation of Changdi, Yunnan province, South China, which lacks the skull and anterior part of the body. Herein, we describe a new well preserved specimen of B. liui from the early Late Ladinian of South China. The description of the new material presents previously unknown anatomical information, which substantially enhances our understanding of B. liui.

Keywords

• birgeria liui
• actinopterygii
• middle triassic
• south china