Fossil Fish Research Articles

Robustness of fossil fish teeth for seawater neodymium isotope reconstructions under variable redox conditions in an ancient shallow marine setting

AbstractFossil fish teeth from pelagic open ocean settings are considered a robust archive for preserving the neodymium (Nd) isotopic composition of ancient seawater. However, using fossil fish teeth as an archive to reconstruct seawater Nd isotopic compositions in different sedimentary redox environments and in terrigenous‐dominated, shallow marine settings is less proven. To address these uncertainties, fish tooth and sediment samples from a middle Eocene section deposited proximal to the East Antarctic margin at Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Site U1356 were analyzed for major and trace element geochemistry, and Nd isotopes. Major and trace element analyses of the sediments reveal changing redox conditions throughout deposition in a shallow marine environment. However, variations in the Nd isotopic composition and rare earth element (REE) patterns of the associated fish teeth do not correspond to redox changes in the sediments. REE patterns in fish teeth at Site U1356 carry a typical mid‐REE‐enriched signature. However, a consistently positive Ce anomaly marks a deviation from a pure authigenic origin of REEs to the fish tooth. Neodymium isotopic compositions of cleaned and uncleaned fish teeth fall between modern seawater and local sediments and hence could be authigenic in nature, but could also be influenced by sedimentary fluxes. We conclude that the fossil fish tooth Nd isotope proxy is not sensitive to moderate changes in pore water oxygenation. However, combined studies on sediments, pore waters, fish teeth, and seawater are needed to fully understand processes driving the reconstructed signature from shallow marine sections in proximity to continental sources.

The description of the Flat fish (Pleuronectiformes) Fossils from the Miocene Duho Formation, Pohang Yeonam-dong in Korea and its Implication

Four entities of the Cenozoic fish fossils were discovered in the Miocene Duho Formation, Pohang, Korea. these fossils were identified as the first Pleuronectiformes in Korea based on the following-the presence of postcleithrum, the elongation of the first proximal pterygiophore of the anal fin ray, almost consistent presence of two proximal pterygiophore of the anal fin rays between the two adjacent hemal spines, the fusion of the first and second hypurals, the fusion of the third and fourth hypurals and the first preural centrum, the presence of well-developed anteriormost plate-like neural spine, the presence of the urohyal like fish-hook and its elongated sciatic part, and the division of the parahypural from the first preural centrum. On the other hand, geological studies about the Duho Formation consistently claimed that shallow-sea creatures were washed away by meteorological events such as a great flood and deposited at the bottom of deep-sea by the turbidity current. However, in Duho Formation, only shallow-sea ones have been discovered thus far. This study reported that Flat fish, deep-sea creature, was discovered in Duho Formation for the first time in Korea.

Late Miocene and Pliocene pikeperches (Teleostei, Percidae) of southeastern Europe

ABSTRACTFreshwater fish fossils representing two or more species of Sander (S. lucioperca, S. svetovidovi, and Sander sp.) and Leobergia zaissanica are reported from a number of localities in Southeastern Europe. These localities sample the late Miocene through early Pliocene, when the landscape was undergoing major changes associated with the collision of the Afro-Arabian and Eurasian plate. This caused changes to ocean circulation with the closing of the Tethys, as well as uplift of mountain ranges in Europe. This was also a period of significant climate change, with the onset of polar glaciation causing a cooling, drying phase globally but also specifically documented for this region. The fossil fish material documents the presence of percids during this time and also the apparent loss of Leobergia in the Pliocene. The loss of Leobergia may well have been caused by a lower tolerance to cool climates of this genus compared to Sander, a genus with five extant species.Citation for this article: Kovalchuk, O. M., and A. M. Murray. 2016. Late Miocene and Pliocene pikeperches (Teleostei, Percidae) of southeastern Europe. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2016.1100999.

Ichthyofauna from the Codó Formation, Lower Cretaceous (Aptian, Parnaíba Basin), Northeastern Brazil and their paleobiogeographical and paleoecological significance

Although fossils from the Codó Formation have been known for over seventy years, their abundance and biotic diversity have only recently become better understood. Numerous specimens of fossil fishes have been collected at new localities in Brejo municipality, Northeastern Brazil, and are interpreted here in the light of evidence for an epicontinental seaway extending from the Equatorial Atlantic (Tethys Ocean). Similarities are noted among fossil fish assemblages from the Codó, Santana and Riachuelo formations, which suggests connections (perhaps intermittent) between the Parnaíba, Araripe and Sergipe-Alagoas basins during the Early Cretaceous (Aptian–Albian). Paleoecological observations suggest that the Codó Formation formed under a restricted lacustrine environment with little marine influence.

About this title ‐ Arthur Smith Woodward: His Life and Influence on Modern Vertebrate Palaeontology

Arthur Smith Woodward was the Natural History Museum's longest-serving Keeper of Geology and the world's leading expert on fossil fish. He was also an unwitting victim of the Piltdown fraud, which overshadowed his important scientific contributions. The aim of this book is to honour Smith Woodward's contributions to vertebrate palaeontology, discuss their relevance today and provide insights into the factors that made him such an eminent scientist. The last few years have seen a resurgence in fossil vertebrate (particularly fish) palaeontology, including new techniques for the ‘virtual’ study of fossils (synchrotron and micro CT-scanning) and new research foci, such as ‘Evo-Devo’ – combining fossils with the development of living animals. This new research is built on a strong foundation, like that provided by Smith Woodward's work. This collection of papers, authored by some of the leading experts in their fields, covers the many facets of Smith Woodward's life, legacy and career. It will be a benchmark for studies on one of the leading vertebrate palaeontologists of his generation.

Marble Busts and Fish Fossils. The Catalog of the Museum of naturalia and artificialia at the University of Padua (1797).

The historical catalogs of the museum collections contain a wealth of information for historians seeking to reconstruct their contents, how they were displayed and the ways in which they were used. This paper will present the complete transcription of a draft catalog that was prepared in 1797 for the Museum of Natural History and Antiquities of the University of Padua. Conserved in the university's Museum of Geology and Paleontology, the catalog was the first to be compiled of the museum, which was established in 1733 thanks to the donation by Antonio Vallisneri Jr. of his father Antonio Vallisneri Sr.'s collection of antiquities and natural history. The catalog was compiled by the custodian of the museum, the herbalist and amateur naturalist Bartolomeo Fabris. It is of great interest because it provides a record of the number and nature of the pieces conserved in the museum at a time when natural history and archeology collections were still undivided. It also provides indications as to how such collections were arranged for display in the public halls of a university at the end of the eighteenth century. Based on this catalog, with additional information drawn from other manuscript and published sources and museum catalogs from the 1830s conserved in various institutes at the University of Padua, it is possible to reconstruct the contents and layout of a significant late 18th-century natural history collection.

Fossil fishes of the extinct alepisauroid family Polymerichthyidae from the Tertiary of Sakhalin Island, Russia

Five incomplete skeletons of fishes of the extinct monotypic family Polymerichthyidae (Aulopiformes: Alepisauroidei) from the Paleogene and Neogene of Sakhalin Island, Russia, are identified as Polymerichthys sp., described in detail, and compared with known representatives of the family. The results of this study suggest that polymerichthyids were characterized by a prolonged rostrum, behind which the upper jaw symphysis was placed; by an anal fin without spinules, contrary to what was assumed earlier; and, probably, by sexual dimorphism. Morphological analysis reveals the closest relationships of Polymerichthyidae to be with Recent Alepisauridae, but their taxonomic position is still unresolved. The new material is the second occurrence of articulated skeleton of fishes of this family. The new findings from Sakhalin expand the known geographical distribution of Pacific polymerichthyids by about 12° of latitude, and extend the time interval for this family to as early as the late Oligocene.

Middle–late Miocene palaeoenvironments, palynological data and a fossil fish Lagerstätte from the Central Kenya Rift (East Africa)

AbstractThe Miocene epoch was a time of major change in the East African Rift System (EARS) as forest habitats were transformed into grasslands and hominids appeared in the landscape. Here we provide new sedimentological and palynological data on the middle–upper Miocene Ngorora Formation (Tugen Hills, Central Kenya Rift, EARS), together with clay mineral characterizations, mammal finds and a description of the Ngorora fish Lagerstätte. Furthermore, we introduce a revised age ofc. 13.3 Ma for the onset of the Ngorora Formation. The older part of the Ngorora Formation (c. 13.3–12 Ma) records low-energy settings of lakes, floodplains and palaeosols, and evidence of analcime indicates that lakes were alkaline. The palynomorph spectrum consists of tree pollen (Juniperus, Podocarpus), Euphorbiaceae pollen (Acalypha, Croton) and herbaceous pollen of Poaceae and Asteraceae, suggestive of wooded grasslands or grassy woodlands. Alkaline lakes, floodplains and palaeosols continue upsection (c. 12–9 Ma), but environmental fluctuations become more dynamic. Paucity of palynomorphs and the presence of an equid may point to progressively drier conditions. A total of about 500 articulated fish fossils were recovered from distinctive layers of almost all sections studied and represent different lineages of the Haplotilapiines (Pseudocrenilabrinae, Cichlidae). Some of the fish kills may be attributable to rapid water acidification and/or asphyxiation by episodic ash falls. Repeated instances of abrupt change in water depth in many sections are more likely to be due to synsedimentary tectonic activity of the Central Kenya Rift than to climatic variation. Overall, the preservation of the Ngorora fish Lagerstätte resulted from the interplay of tectonics, formation of alkaline lakes and explosive volcanism. As records of grasslands that pre-date late Miocene time are rare, our finding of middle Miocene (12–13 Ma) grassy savannah in the Central Kenya Rift is also relevant to models of human evolution in East Africa.

Spectroscopic studies of the fish fossils (Cladocyclus gardneri and Vinctifer comptoni) from the Ipubi Formation of the Cretaceous Period

Fossils are mineralized remains or traces from animals, plants and other organisms aged to about 108years. The chemical processes of fossilization are dated back from old geological periods on Earth. The understanding of these processes and the structure of the fossils are one of the goals of paleontology and geology in the sedimentary environments. Many researches have tried to unveil details about special kinds of biological samples; however, a lack of data is noticed for various other specimens. This study reports the investigations through infrared spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction measurements for two types of fish fossils from the Cretaceous Period. The sample of Cladocyclus gardneri and Vinctifer comptoni fossils were collected from the Ipubi Formation, being one of the less studied, among the formations that constitute the important Santana group in the Araripe Basin, Brazil. The results obtained through different techniques, showed that the C. gardneri fish fossil contains hydroxyapatite and calcite as constituents whereas its rock matrix was formed by calcite, quartz and pyrite. Regarding the V. comptoni, the measurements confirmed the presence of hydroxyapatite in the fossil and its rock matrix gypsum, pyrite, quartz and calcite. The above scientific data contributed to the understanding the fossil formation in the Ipubi Formation, an important environment of the Cretaceous Period, which is rich in well-preserved fossils from different species.

A new halisaurine mosasaur (Squamata: Halisaurinae) from Japan: the first record in the western Pacific realm and the first documented insights into binocular vision in mosasaurs

A specimen of a halisaurine mosasaur is reported from Japan for the first time, closing the pre-existing biogeographical gap between the Middle East and the eastern Pacific. Phosphorosaurus ponpetelegans sp. nov., from the lowermost Maastrichtian of Hokkaido, has been assigned to the genus Phosphorosaurus for sharing the following suite of major cranial characters with P. ortliebi, the type species from Belgium: apex of posterodorsal triangular plateau on frontal reaching level of interorbital constriction; frontal lateral border forming a step-like junction between interorbital and preorbital segments of frontal; preorbital segment of frontal sloping anteroventrally; and stapedial meatus parallel-sided in latero-medial view. Potential autapomorphies that distinguish P. ponpetelegans from other members of Halisaurinae include: postorbitofrontal jugal process elongate and stalk-like, projecting laterally; this process distally bearing a ventrally facing depression for jugal articulation; and lateral surangular–articular suture angular rather than round. The long and laterally projecting jugal processes, when combined with a depressed as well as narrow snout, provide compelling evidence for well-developed binocular vision for the new mosasaur, with an estimated binocular field of view (BFoV) of 35°. This value is unusually high for non-ophidian squamates that typically exhibit a BFoV of 10—20°, and is higher than those of other measured mosasaur taxa by at least 5°. Among colubrid snakes, nocturnal species exhibit greater BFoV than diurnal ones in both arboreal and terrestrial taxa. Known also from the Maastrichtian of Hokkaido are fossils of lantern fish (myctophids) and 10-armed cephalopods (coleoids), both of which are typically bioluminescent today. It is hence proposed that the exceptionally large, forward-facing eyes of P. ponpetelegans may well have been a special adaptation for a nocturnal lifestyle, where they hunted small, bioluminescent prey at night while avoiding direct competition with larger, more piscine mosasaurine taxa such as Mosasaurus hobetsuensis that co-existed with P. ponpetelegans.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3EF73BE7-B3FE-4441-BA5E-29C5D5FCCBC9

Fishes and Morphology Today: An Introduction

Our primary goal in organizing the symposium “Fishes and Morphology Today” (Albuquerque, 14–15 July 2013) and editing these symposium proceedings in Copeia is to showcase the results of current morphological studies and their impact on our understanding of different groups of fishes and their evolutionary history. Morphology remains key to taxonomic, systematic, and evolutionary studies of extant and fossil fishes (and all other organisms) as was convincingly illustrated by contributions on extant and fossil fishes presented in the symposium and now in these symposium proceedings. Here we emphasize and promote the value of morphological research. This effort and others from the worldwide fish community, together with genomic and molecular studies, effectively contribute to the Tree of Life of Fishes and to training programs on biodiversity. Without the underpinnings of a morphological perspective in systematics and evolutionary history, there are few engaging questions to ask. Furthermore, the more we kno...

Introduction and bibliography

s, obituaries and notices of exhibitions of materials and photographs presented by Smith Woodward, principally at the Zoological Society. The fact there are 742 entries in this list is of little immediate value without an indication of the areas that he covered and the venues in which he published. Regarding the latter, the Geological Magazine comes top with 164 entries. This is not particularly surprising as the editor of this journal was Henry Woodward (1832–1921). Henry Woodward was Smith Woodward’s manager at the museum from the day he joined until Smith Woodward succeeded him as Keeper of Geology in 1901. All but the final two of Smith Woodward’s contributions to the Geological Magazine were made under Henry Woodward’s tenure as editor. Major contributions, such as the Palaeontographical Society Monographs, count as multiple entries in the list (Chalk fishes, published in seven parts; Wealden and Purbeck fishes, three parts), as does the Catalogue of Fossil Fishes (four parts). A significant number of articles were written for popular publications, such as Encyclopaedia Britannica (11), Hardwicke’s Science-Gossip (9) and the Illustrated London News (3). Smith Woodward’s first publication was a self-printed and published record of a holiday in Wales. In July 1880 and just 16 years old he had two articles published in Gardening Illustrated. The second article proposes a procedure for drying aquatic plants based on a method for drying seaweed. It is interesting to note that the NHM library has some examples of Smith Woodward’s dried seaweed in its collection. In all, Smith Woodward authored articles published in 95 different serials, periodicals and books. Table 1 splits his contributions into eight categories with the number in each category for the top five publications (in terms of number of contributions). These are the Geological Magazine, the Annals and Magazine of Natural History, the Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London, Nature and the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. The final column gives the total for all publications. Vertebrate palaeontology accounts for just over half of the total of 743 contributions (one paper dealt with a lungfish tooth and a dinosaurian claw and so appears twice). The significant number of obituaries that Smith Woodward wrote reflects both his longevity and the wide circle of eminent people that he knew. Reviews could range from a Table 1. Smith Woodward’s papers and articles by subject for the five most numerous venues for publication Geological Magazine Annals and Magazine of Natural History Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London Nature Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London All publications Fishes 44 69 16 4 19 263 Other vertebrates 18 8 5 6 16 114 Abstracts 37 23 0 2 0 99 Reviews 43 0 0 5 0 48 Palaeoanthropology 3 0 6 12 0 40 Obituaries 12 0 28 17 0 76 Exhibitions 0 0 0 0 10 14 Miscellaneous 7 1 4 5 1 89 Total 164 101 59 51 46 743 M. SMITH ET AL. 4

The invisible fish: hydrodynamic constraints for predator-prey interaction in fossil fish Saurichthys compared to recent actinopterygians.

ABSTRACTRecent pike-like predatory fishes attack prey animals by a quick strike out of rest or slow movement. This fast-start behaviour includes a preparatory, a propulsive and a final phase, and the latter is crucial for the success of the attack. To prevent prey from escape, predators tend to minimise the duration of the interaction and the disturbance caused to surrounding water in order to not be detected by the prey's lateral line sensory system. We compared the hydrodynamic properties of the earliest fossil representative of the pike-like morphotype, the Triassic actinopterygian Saurichthys, with several recent pike-like predators by means of computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Rainbow trout has been used as a control example of a fish with a generalist body shape. Our results show that flow disturbance produced by Saurichthys was low and similar to that of the recent forms Belone and Lepisosteus, thus indicative of an effective ambush predator. Drag coefficients are low for all these fishes, but also for trout, which is a good swimmer over longer distances but generates considerable disturbance of flow. Second-highest flow disturbance values are calculated for Esox, which compensates the large disturbance with its extremely high acceleration performance (i.e. attacks at high speeds) and the derived teleostean protrusible mouth that allows prey catching from longer distances compared to the other fishes. We show CFD modelling to be a useful tool for palaeobiological reconstruction of fossil fishes, as it allows quantification of impacts of body morphology on a hypothesised lifestyle.

The English Chalk and London Clay: two remarkable British bony fish Lagerstätten

Abstract The Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Maastrichtian) Chalk Group and Eocene (Ypresian) London Clay Formation are two British marine deposits that yield globally significant assemblages of fossil actinopterygian (ray-finned) fishes. Materials from these units, especially the Chalk, featured prominently in the work of Arthur Smith Woodward. Here we summarize the history of study of actinopterygian fossils from the Chalk and London Clay, review their geological and palaeoenvironmental context and provide updated faunal lists. The Chalk and London Clay are remarkable for preserving fossil fishes in three dimensions rather than as the flattened individuals familiar from many other famous Lagerstätten , as well as capturing detailed ‘snapshots’ of marine fish faunas that bracket the major taxonomic shift that took place near the Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary.

Piscivory in a Miocene Cetotheriidae of Peru: first record of fossilized stomach content for an extinct baleen-bearing whale.

Instead of teeth, modern mysticetes bear hair-fringed keratinous baleen plates that permit various bulk-filtering predation techniques (from subsurface skimming to lateral benthic suction and engulfment) devoted to various target prey (from small invertebrates to schooling fish). Current knowledge about the feeding ecology of extant cetaceans is revealed by stomach content analyses and observations of behavior. Unfortunately, no fossil stomach contents of ancient mysticetes have been described so far; the investigation of the diet of fossil baleen whales, including the Neogene family Cetotheriidae, remains thus largely speculative. We report on an aggregate of fossil fish remains found within a mysticete skeleton belonging to an undescribed late Miocene (Tortonian) cetotheriid from the Pisco Formation (Peru). Micro-computed tomography allowed us to interpret it as the fossilized content of the forestomach of the host whale and to identify the prey as belonging to the extant clupeiform genus Sardinops. Our discovery represents the first direct evidence of piscivory in an ancient edentulous mysticete. Since among modern mysticetes only Balaenopteridae are known to ordinarily consume fish, this fossil record may indicate that part of the cetotheriids experimented some degree of balaenopterid-like engulfment feeding. Moreover, this report corresponds to one of the geologically oldest records of Sardinops worldwide, occurring near the Tortonian peak of oceanic primary productivity and cooling phase. Therefore, our discovery evokes a link between the rise of Cetotheriidae; the setup of modern coastal upwelling systems; and the radiation of epipelagic, small-sized, schooling clupeiform fish in such highly productive environments.

The Woodward factor: Arthur Smith Woodward's legacy to geology in Australia and Antarctica

Abstract In the pioneering century of Australian geology the ‘BM’ (British Museum (Natural History): now NHMUK) London played a major role in assessing the palaeontology and stratigraphical relations of samples sent across long distances by local men, both professional and amateur. Eighteen-year-old Arthur Woodward (1864–1944) joined the museum in 1882, was ordered to change his name and was catapulted into vertebrate palaeontology, beginning work on Australian fossils in 1888. His subsequent career spanned six decades across the nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries and, although Smith (renamed to distinguish him from NHMUK colleagues) Woodward never visited Australia, he made significant contributions to the study of Australian fossil fishes and other vertebrates. ‘ASW’ described Australian and Antarctic Palaeozoic to Quaternary fossils in some 30 papers, often deciding or confirming the age of Australasian rock units for the first time, many of which have contributed to our understanding of fish evolution. Smith Woodward's legacy to vertebrate palaeontology was blighted by one late middle-age misjudgement, which led him away from his first-chosen path. ASW's work, especially on palaeoichthyology with his four-part Catalogue of Fossil Fishes , was one of the foundations for vertebrate palaeontology in Australia; it continues to resonate, and influenced subsequent generations via his unofficial student Edwin Sherbon Hills. Some taxa, however, have never been revisited.

The Natural History Museum Fossil Fish Collection: Smith Woodward’s role in the development and use of this priceless resource

Abstract When an 18-year-old Arthur Smith Woodward arrived at the new home of the natural history collections of the British Museum on Cromwell Road, South Kensington in August 1882, he could not have envisaged the treasure trove of vertebrate fossils that awaited him. Even before the move to South Kensington, the collections already contained many fossil fish specimens first described and figured by the famous Swiss zoologist and geologist Louis Agassiz in his monumental work Recherches sur les Poissons Fossiles . The fabulous fossil fish collections of Lord Egerton and the Earl of Enniskillen arrived shortly after, including many more of Agassiz's type specimens. However, Agassiz had left much work undone and ideas on fossil fish systematics had changed in the 50 years since he had started publishing his research. Making full use of the collection, and adding to it, Smith Woodward embarked on a scientific career that was to see him become the world's leading authority on fossil fishes. When he retired from the Museum at the age of 60, his successors inherited the most extensive and well-documented collection of fossil fishes in the world.

Arthur Smith Woodward's fossil fish type specimens

Abstract Four years after joining the Natural History Department of the British Museum in 1882, Arthur Smith Woodward published his first taxonomic paper erecting three new species based on sharks’ teeth. He retired from the Natural History Museum in 1924 but continued to publish until his death in 1944 at the age of 80. In total he named 321 new fossil fishes, a remarkable achievement, marking him out as the most influential palaeoichthyologist of his time. For the first time brief details of all his type specimens are brought together, accompanied in many cases by high-quality photographic images, in an online format readily available to anyone with access to the Internet. Supplementary material: Details of all the Smith Woodward type specimens, including images, are available at http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18874

‘A Splendid Position’: The life, achievements and contradictions of Sir Arthur Smith Woodward 1864–1944

Abstract Arthur Smith Woodward commanded international respect and acclaim. He was honoured in scientific circles from Russia to the Americas and throughout Europe, particularly for his outstanding work on fossil fish. He was distinguished in both his exceptional abilities as a vertebrate palaeontologist and in his tall, authoritative presence. He appeared confident, contained and in control, while his intellectual gifts had been apparent from a very early age. He was a remarkable scientist, but a man whose reputation has for too long been seen through the prism of the Piltdown forgery.

Smith Woodward's ideas on fish classification

Abstract Smith Woodward embarked on the production of a catalogue of fossil fishes half a century after Louis Agassiz began a similar exercise. These two palaeontological goliaths remain the only authorities who saw all relevant fossil fish material in all important collections. Between their works there was a substantial increase in the number of species recognized, reflecting the nineteenth-century passion for collecting, the rise of museums, as well as an acceptance that species change through time. Agassiz was working in pre-evolutionary days but Smith Woodward's view on fish diversity was strongly influenced by the theory of evolution and specifically the writings of Thomas Henry Huxley as well as those of Edward Drinker Cope and Ramsay Heatley Traquair and their ideas of grades of evolution. Many of Smith Woodward's generic and species descriptions survive today as his lasting legacy. Higher classification has changed considerably with new discoveries and differing methods of classification.