Bauzaia lamberi Dante & Frizzell, 1965

Lin, Chien-Hsiang & Nolf, Dirk, 2022, Middle and late Eocene fish otoliths from the eastern and southern USA, European Journal of Taxonomy 814, pp. 1-122 : 49

Bauzaia lamberi Dante & Frizzell, 1965

Fig. 16F–H

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

“genus Lepophidiinorum ” lamberi – Nolf 1980: 103, pl. 20 fig. 1; 1985: 64.

Bauzaia lamberi – Schwarzhans 1981b: 112.

“ Lepophidiinus ” lamberi – Nolf 2013: 65, pl. 125.

Remarks

The extinct genus Bauzaia is characterized by rather thickset otoliths with a very strong but rounded antero-dorsal bulging expansion of their dorsal rim, and a salient, spine-like posterior end. The sulcus is almost straight, rather broad, and is constituted by a long ostium and a very short cauda. The inner face is strongly convex. There are two congeneric species: the type species, Bauzaia mucronata (Koken, 1891) , and B. lamberi . Both can be readily distinguished by their length-height ratio. Otoliths of B. lamberi are short and high, whereas those of B. mucronata are markedly longer, which gives them a more massive look.

Stratigraphic and geographic distribution

Lutetian: Weches Formation and “Stone City beds”, Texas; Cane River Formation, Louisiana; “lower” Lisbon Formation, Alabama. Bartonian: “upper” Lisbon Formation, Alabama.

Figures

Fig. 16. Fish otoliths from the US middle and upper Eocene. A–E. Hoplobrotula melrosensis (Dante & Frizzell, 1965), “Stone City beds”, Stone City Bluff, Brazos River, sample 2 from bed P, Texas (IRSNB P 10046–10050). F–H. Bauzaia lamberi Dante & Frizzell, 1965, “Stone City beds”, Stone City Bluff, Brazos River, sample 2 from bed P, Texas (IRSNB P 10051–10053). I–N. Bauzaia mucronata (Koken, 1888). I–J. “Stone City beds”, Stone City Bluff, Brazos River, sample 6 from bed U, Texas (IRSNB P10054–10055). K–N. Wheelock M., Little Brazos River, Stenzel loc., Texas (IRSNB P 10056–10059). 1 = ventral view; 2 = inner view. Scale bars = 1 mm.