First teleost otoliths from the Late Jurassic of Russia

Abstract

This is the first record of Late Jurassic (Volgian) otoliths from the boreal province of Russia. Two new species– Palealbula korchinskyi n. sp. and Palealbula moscoviensis n. sp. – are described representing otoliths of putative stem- albuliform affinities of unresolved familiar position. The phylogeny of Palealbula and the supposedly related genus Protalbula is discussed in the light of the new findings presented in this article. Both genera are shown to represent a common faunal element in the early evolutionary phase of teleosts during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous.