Abstract
Over the last few years, the morphology, taxonomy and systematics of the cartilaginous fish taxa of the two main sites of the Bolca Lagerstätte, Italy, (Pesciara and Monte Postale sites) have been extensively discussed in a series of papers, resulting in a complete revision of this neglected component of the Eocene Tethyan ichthyofauna. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the diversity, palaeoecology and palaeoenvironmental significance of the two chondrichthyan assemblages of the Pesciara and Monte Postale sites. The assemblages include 14 shark species (Lamniformes and Carcharhiniformes) and batoids (Torpediniformes, Rhinopristiformes, Myliobatiformes, Platyrhinidae and Zanobatidae), as well as a single putative chimaeriform. The Pesciara and Monte Postale sites are characterized by eight chondrichthyan taxa each, but the taxonomic compositions are distinctly different reflecting the dissimilarities in the overall composition of both fish assemblages. Palaeoecological interpretations and habitat preferences of the two chondrichthyan assemblages are consistent with previously hypothesized palaeoenvironmental settings based on sedimentological, palaeontological and geochemical evidence. The chondrichthyan assemblages of the two sites appear to be constituted by ecologically vicariant taxa, with both characterized by a predominance of benthic species with durophagous/cancritrophic feeding modes. Taxonomic composition, habitat preferences and palaeobathymetric analyses support the hypothesis that both assemblages occupied tropical marine shallow waters (likely up to 50 m deep) of the inner portion of the Lessini Shelf. The taxonomic composition of both sites is considerably different from that of any other contemporaneous Tethyan and Boreal chondrichthyan assemblages.
Highlights
Over the last few years, the morphology, taxonomy and systematics of the cartilaginous fish taxa of the two main sites of the Bolca Lagerstätte, Italy, (Pesciara and Monte Postale sites) have been extensively discussed in a series of papers, resulting in a complete revision of this neglected component of the Eocene Tethyan ichthyofauna
Despite the considerable efforts devoted to the study of fossil fishes, the diversity, palaeoecology and palaeoenvironmental significance of certain groups, the cartilaginous fishes, have been overlooked until recently
The specimens are kept in museums and institutions worldwide, including the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Verona (MCSNV), Museo dei Fossili di Bolca, Museo di Geologia e Palaeontologia dell'Università di Padova (MGP‐PD), Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano (MSNM), Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris (MNHN), Museo Friulano di Storia Naturale di Udine (MFSN), Museo di Storia Naturale dell'Università di Firenze (MSNFI), Museo di Storia Naturale dell'Università di Pavia (MSNPV), Museo Geologico Giovanni Capellini dell'Università di Bologna (MGGC), Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (Mf.B), Naturhistorisches Museum Wien (NHMW), Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh (CMNH), Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University (MCZ) and Natural History Museum, London (NHMUK)
Summary
Over the last few years, the morphology, taxonomy and systematics of the cartilaginous fish taxa of the two main sites of the Bolca Lagerstätte, Italy, (Pesciara and Monte Postale sites) have been extensively discussed in a series of papers, resulting in a complete revision of this neglected component of the Eocene Tethyan ichthyofauna. We provide a comprehensive overview of the diversity, palaeoecology and palaeoenvironmental significance of the two chondrichthyan assemblages of the Pesciara and Monte Postale sites. The celebrated Ypresian palaeontological sites of Bolca, in northeastern Italy, are well known for the outstanding abundance, diversity and exquisite preservation of fossils, especially fishes, which provide a snapshot into the shallow marine life of the western Tethys Ocean during the early Eocene (Carnevale et al 2014; Marramà et al 2016a, 2016b; Friedman & Carnevale 2018). The goal of this paper is to conclusively assess and summarize the diversity, palaeoecological role and palaeoenvironmental significance of the chondrichthyan assemblages of the Pesciara and Monte Postale sites, based on comparisons with the feeding and habitat preferences of extant closely related species. The two sites are about 300 m from each other and share similar sedimentological features, such as finely laminated micritic limestones with fish and plant remains, they differ from a stratigraphical, palaeontological, palaeoenvironmental and taphonomic point of view (Papazzoni & Trevisani 2006; Papazzoni et al 2014a, 2014b, 2017; Marramà et al 2016c)
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