Osteology and relationships of Acrorhinichthys poyatoi gen. et sp. nov. (Pycnodontiformes) from the marine Late Cretaceous of Lebanon

Abstract

The osteology of Acrorhinichthys poyatoi gen. et sp. nov., a pycnodontid fish from the marine Cenomanian (Late Cretaceous) of Lebanon, is studied in detail. The new fossil genus belongs to the order Pycnodontiformes, but is less evolved than the Pycnodontidae. It still exhibits a few bony plates (= tesserae) in the gular region, 3 teeth on the premaxilla and 5 teeth on the dentary, and its parietal is devoid of a brush-like process. It shares a few characters with Akromystax, the most primitive taxon within Pycnodontidae, characters lost in the other members of the family.

Keywords

• Pycnodontiformes
• Acrorhinichthys poyatoi gen. et sp. nov.
• osteology
• relationships
• Cretaceous
• Lebanon