First record of Gyrosteus mirabilis (Actinopterygii, Chondrosteidae) from the Toarcian (Lower Jurassic) of the Baltic region

Abstract

An isolated hyomandibula from a lower Toarcian carbonate concretion of the Ahrensburg erratics assemblage (Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany) represents the first record of a chondrosteid fish from the Lower Jurassic of the southwestern Baltic realm. Except for its smaller size, the specimen is morphologically indistinguishable from corresponding elements of Gyrosteus mirabilis from the Toarcian of Yorkshire, England. This find, which probably originates from the western Baltic basin between Bornholm Island (Denmark) and northeastern Germany, markedly expands the known range of this chondrosteid taxon across the northern part of the strait connecting the Boreal Sea with the Tethys Ocean during the Early Jurassic. For the first time the extension of the paleogeographic range of a chondrosteid species beyond its type area is documented, which can contribute to future studies of vertebrate faunal provincialism during the Lower Jurassic in Europe.

Keywords

• Chondrosteidae
• Gyrosteus mirabilis
• Toarcian
• Lower Jurassic
• Northern Germany