Double-armoured herrings (Clupeomorpha: Ellimmichthyiformes) from the Lower Cretaceous of Pietraroja (Southern Italy)

Abstract

The Lower Cretaceous (Albian) clupeomorph fishes of the Pietraroja Plattenkalk were among the first fishes described for this celebrated Italian Konservat-Lagerstätte. However, a detailed anatomical and phylogenetic study has never been carried out on these fishes in order to clarify their taxonomic status, systematic position, and relationships within the Clupeomorpha. The specimens examined herein exhibit diagnostic features that clearly support their alignment with the extinct double-armoured herring order Ellimmichthyiformes. Based on the presence of an incomplete series of heart-shaped predorsal scutes, a new combination, Armigatus elatus (Costa, 1850), and the new species Armigatus plinii sp. nov. are recognized as the oldest representatives of the family Armigatidae, whereas a unique combination of features allows us to recognize most of the specimens as a new representative of the family Paraclupeidae, Paraclupea pietrarojae sp. nov. The presence of lower Albian species of Armigatus and Paraclupea in the Western Tethys extends the temporal and biogeographical range of these widely distributed genera, providing additional information for our understanding of the evolutionary and biogeographical history of the double-armoured herrings.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:98F0ECD2-19C3-4399-89D2-7567058AE812

Keywords:

• Albian
• Armigatus
• fish
• palaeobiogeography; Paraclupea
• phylogenetic analysis

Acknowledgements

We thank Mariacarmela Del Re (CMSNF), Annalaura Pistarino (MRSN), Emma Bernard (NHMUK) and Alan Pradel (MNHN) for providing logistical support and access to material under their care, and Romain Vullo for providing photos of clupeomorph specimens used for comparison. The manuscript was improved with constructive reviews provided by two anonymous reviewers and editorial comments by Martin D. Brazeau and Zerina Johanson. This work was supported by grants ex-60% 2021 and 2022 from the Università degli Studi di Torino to GC and by Synthesys grants (FR-TAF-4961 and GB-TAF-8105) to GM. The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Supplemental material

Supplemental material for this article can be accessed here: https://doi.org/10.1080/14772019.2023.2181109.

Associate Editor: Martin Brazeau

Additional information

Funding

We thank Mariacarmela Del Re (CMSNF), Annalaura Pistarino (MRSN), Emma Bernard (NHMUK) and Alan Pradel (MNHN) for providing logistical support and access to material under their care, and Romain Vullo for providing photos of clupeomorph specimens used for comparison. The manuscript was improved with constructive reviews provided by two anonymous reviewers and editorial comments by Martin D. Brazeau and Zerina Johanson. This work was supported by grants ex-60% 2021 and 2022 from the Università degli Studi di Torino to GC and by Synthesys grants (FR-TAF-4961 and GB-TAF-8105) to GM. The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.