Palaeotinca sp. 1

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 : 298-299

Palaeotinca sp. 1

Fig. 28 .

1996 “genus Cyprinidarum” sp.; Reichenbacher and Mödden 1996: 91, pl. 1: A–M.

2004 cf. Tarsichthys sp. ; Reichenbacher 2004, pro parte: 118, pl. 3: 1–2.

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

Description.—The general shape, the prominent anterolateral and anteromedial edges, the well developed mineralization area, and the cranial umbo make these lapilli similar to Palaeotinca moeddeni sp. nov., but the concavity of the posterior margin is absent, the medial margin is more or less straight, and the most thickened portion lies anteriorly. However, there is some similarity to Tinca micropygoptera from the Steinheim Basin (see Gaudant 1989, here Fig. 29 ).

Remarks.—The numerous pharyngeal fish teeth from St. Donat all belong to the genus Palaeotinca (det. Jean Gaudant and Madelaine Böhme) and support our attribution of the otoliths. These teeth were erroneously mentioned as Tarsichthys in Reichenbacher (2004). No fish teeth were available from Göllheim.

Palaeotinca sp. 1 reveals a rather high variability in both localities. Some specimens are wider and reveal a more trapezoid posterior portion instead of the pointed posterior end (e.g., Fig. 28A, B ). However, intermediate forms are also present and thus we do not separate these morphotypes. The observed variability may relate to the brackish conditions and shifting salinities in both localities.

Figures

Fig. 28. Early Miocene Palaeotinca sp. 1. A–D. BSPG 2003 XVIII 64–67 respectively, from St. Donat (France) in dorsal views, represented as right lapilli (C, D mirrored). E. BSPG 2003 XVIII 63 from Göllheim (Germany) in dorsal view, represented as right lapillus. SEM−pictures.

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

Fig. 29. Middle Miocene Tinca micropygoptera (Agassiz, 1844) from Steinheim Basin (Germany). A, C–E. SMNS 86052a, c, d, and e respectively, in dorsal views, represented as right lapilli (A, D, E mirrored). B. SMNS 86052b in ventral view, represented as left lapillus (mirrored). SEM−pictures.