A new species of †Notogoneus (Teleostei: Gonorynchidae) from the Upper Cretaceous Two Medicine Formation of Montana, and the poor Cretaceous record of freshwater fishes from North America

Abstract

ABSTRACT †Notogoneus montanensis, sp. nov. (Teleostei: Ostariophysi: Gonorynchidae) is described from Late Cretaceous freshwater deposits of the Two Medicine Formation of Montana. The species is represented by one articulated skeleton and a partial trunk region of a second individual. Articulated freshwater fish fossils are almost unknown in Early Cretaceous through Middle Paleocene age deposits of North America. Localities such as the Two Medicine fish locality are extremely important to a better understanding of the biodiversity of early North American freshwater teleosts. †Notogoneus montanensis, sp. nov. is the earliest known occurrence of the genus †Notogoneus, and it is the earliest known freshwater gonorynchiform from North America. The distribution of †Notogoneus and other gonorynchid species is briefly reviewed. Additional fragmentary fish fossils found associated with †N. montanensis, sp. nov. include a number of teleost scales, which appear to belong to at least two different taxa other than †Notogoneus.