Muraenanguilla, SP., SCHWARZHANS, 2019

Stringer, Gary L. & Sloan, James Carson, 2023, First Cretaceous teleostean otolith assemblage (Arkadelphia Formation, upper Maastrichtian) from Arkansas, USA, early Gadiformes, and the Western Interior Seaway, PaleoBios 40 (1994), pp. 1-39 : 10

MURAENANGUILLA ? SP.

FIG. 5H

Material— two worn, broken specimens, specimen figured, DMNH 2021-09-08.

Description and Remarks— The Muraenanguilla ? specimens from the Arkadelphia Formation are oval in shape (sensu Smale et al. 1995) with a H/L ratio of approximately 66%. The convex inner face has a fairly deep, moderately narrow sulcus. It is difficult to differentiate the ostium and cauda. The dorsal margin tends to be irregularly curved, while the ventral margin appears to be smooth and regularly curved. These specimens resemble Muraenanguilla unionensis Schwarzhans and Stringer (2020b) , which is known from the Ripley and Owl Creek formations (Maastrichtian) of Mississippi (Stringer et al. 2020). Unfortunately, the specimens are not preserved well enough to make any definitive identification. The genus is also known from the Paleogene of Europe ( Schwarzhans 2019), the Upper Cretaceous Coon Creek type locality in Tennessee ( Stringer 2016b), and the upper Maastrichtian Severn Formation in Maryland ( Huddleston and Savoie 1983, Stringer and Schwarzhans 2021).

Figures

Figure 5. Otoliths from the Cretaceous Arkadelphia Formation. All specimens unless otherwise noted are inner views of right sagittae. Length in mm. A. Elops sp., DMNH 2021-09-01, 1.89 mm. B. Albuliformes indeterminate, DMNH 2021-09-02, 1.42 mm. C. Elopothrissus sp. DMNH 2021-09-03, 1.83 mm. D. Genartina sp. DMNH 2021-09-04, 0.85 mm. E. Osmeroides sp. DMNH 2021-09-05, 3.85 mm. F. Anguilla? chickasawae Schwarzhans and Stringer (2020b), DMNH 2021-09-6, 1.90 mm. G. Echiophis aff. E. semisphaeroides Schwarzhans (2003), DMNH 2021-09-07, 3.25 mm. H. Muraenanguilla? sp. DMNH 2021-09-08, 2.18 mm.