The fish assemblage of the Cretaceous (?Albian-Cenomanian) Açu Formation, Potiguar Basin, Northeastern Brazil

Abstract

Freshwater localities dating from the break-up of western Gondwana are important for a better understanding of the faunal composition and biogeographic patterns of taxa that would become established in both South America and Africa. In the Potiguar Basin, the single locality that represents the Albian-Cenomanian span is the Açu Formation. The paleontological content of Açu Formation began to be discovered in 2005 and, after that, a number of fieldworks conducted recovered numerous fossil remains. The remains include eight fish taxa identified as Tribodus, Bawitius, Lepisosteidae, Vidalamiinae, Pycnodontiformes, Mawsonia c.f. lavocati, Asiatoceratodus c.f. tiguidiensis and Ceratodus. The taxa described here are common to other freshwater localities in Africa and South America, revealing some dating problems related to these localities in the western part of Gondwana.