Palaeoleuciscus Obrhelova, 1969

Schulz-Mirbach, Tanja & Reichenbacher, Bettina, 2006, Reconstruction of Oligocene and Neogene freshwater fish faunas-an actualistic study on cypriniform otoliths, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 51 (2), pp. 283-304 : 297

Genus Palaeoleuciscus Obrhelova, 1969 Palaeoleuciscus sp.

Fig. 26 .

2003 “Cyprinidarum” sp.; Sach et al. 2003: 13, pl. 3: 1–4.

Material, dimensions and stratigraphic range.—See Tables 1 and 4, and Fig. 32 .

Description.—These lapilli are similar to the cf. Leuciscus − type as described above. They differ in the position of the anterolateral and anteromedial edges that are not opposite to each other because the anterolateral edge is displaced posteriorly and the anteromedial edge switched anteriorly. Furthermore, some of the fossil lapilli show a slightly pointed or rounded posterior margin, which is not the case in Leuciscus spp. and in cf. Leuciscus sp. The largest lapilli (length> 1.4 mm) display a distinctive cranial umbo, but smaller lapilli (length about 1 mm or less) may show only a slight convexity instead of a cranial umbo.

Remarks.—At least one Palaeoleuciscus species is known from both localities (Le Locle, Wannenwaldtobel) because of its characteristic pharyngeal teeth ( Gaudant et al. 2002; Sach et al. 2003). Sach et al. (2003) discriminated two lapilli morphotypes due to the more rounded general shape of the one type and the elongate shape of the second type (morphotypes A and B). Possibly, these morphotypes represent different Palaeoleuciscus −species.

Figures

Fig. 26. Middle Miocene lapilli of Palaeoleuciscus sp. from Switzerland. A–D. BSPG 2003 XVIII 47–50 respectively, from Le Locle S1/15.2–15.45 m (A, D), S3/22–23 m (B), and S2/22.1–22.5 m (C) in dorsal views, represented as right lapilli (C, D mirrored). SEM−pictures.

Fig. 32. Stratigraphic range of the lapilli−based fossil cyprinid species of the present study. Stratigraphic scale after Gradstein et al. (2004).