Lepophidium? lamberi Frizzell & Dante, 1965, 1895

Ebersole, Jun A., Cicimurri, David J. & Stringer, Gary L., 2019, Taxonomy and biostratigraphy of the elasmobranchs and bony fishes (Chondrichthyes and Osteichthyes) of the lower-to-middle Eocene (Ypresian to Bartonian) Claiborne Group in Alabama, USA, including an analysis of otoliths, European Journal of Taxonomy 585, pp. 1-274 : 202-203

Lepophidium? lamberi Frizzell & Dante, 1965

Bauzaia lamberi Dante & Frizzell in Frizzell & Dante, 1965: 711 , pl. 86, figs 27–28, 30–31, 41.

Bauzaia lamberi – Stringer & Breard 1997: 565 .

“genus Lepophidiinorum ” lamberi – Müller 1999: 110 . — Breard & Stringer 1999: 135. “ Lepophidiinus ” lamberi – Nolf 2013: 65 , pl. 125.

Material examined

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – Alabama • 5 otoliths; GLS otolith comparative collection (4 specimens); MSC 37059.9 .

Description

Sagittae primarily oval in shape, with prominent anterodorsal dome, pointed posterior; height/length ratio between 60–68%. Adult specimens with smooth margins. Anterior margin short, somewhat truncated. Pronounced anterodorsal dome, nearly vertical, slopes markedly away from plane of inner face. Anterodorsal margin fairly straight, slants towards dorsal margin. Dorsal margin nearly straight. Posterodorsal slope fairly short, truncated by posterior margin. Posterior margin very short, consisting of pointed tip. Ventral margin broadly, nearly evenly, rounded. Inner face smooth, evenly convex. Prominent sulcus divided, quite long, filled with colliculum, extending almost to posterodorsal slope. Ostium approximately three times longer than cauda, not as wide as the cauda. Dorsal and ventral margins of ostium nearly straight, parallel. Anterior portion of ostium appears to open onto anterior margin. Ostium separated from cauda by straight (sometimes slanted), incised line. Cauda short, wider than ostium due to ventral margin of cauda being inflated. Posterior of cauda rounded, located near posterodorsal slope. Low, narrow crista superior extends length of sulcus. Ventral furrow visible on well-preserved specimens, located very near ventral margin. Outer face slightly concave, irregularly sculptured. Coarse to fine bosses often occur on lower half of outer face.

Remarks

This species is known from several Eocene (Claibornian) localities in Texas and Louisiana ( Frizzell & Dante 1965; Stringer & Breard 1997), but our specimens represent the first records of the taxon in Alabama.

Stratigraphic and geographic range in Alabama

The four specimens were recovered from the “upper” Lisbon Formation at site ACh-7. Bartonian, zones NP16 and NP17.