Vorhisia vulpes, FRIZZELL, 1965 b

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 : 12

VORHISIA VULPES FRIZZELL, 1965b

FIG. 6D–H

Material— 1,537 specimens. Five specimens figured: DMNH 2021-09-12, DMNH 2021-09-13, DMNH 2021-09- 14, DMNH 2021-09-15, DMNH 2021-09- 16 .

Description and Remarks— Vorhisia vulpes is one of most ubiquitous Late Cretaceous otoliths known in the USA and has been reported in the Fox Hills Formation (North Dakota), the Kemp Clay (Texas), the Ripley Formation (Mississippi), and the Severn Formation (Maryland) ( Hoganson et al. 2019, Woodward 2003, Schwarzhans and Stringer 2020a, Stringer et al. 2020, and Huddleston and Savoie 1983). It has been classified primarily as an extinct siluriform, or perhaps an ariid, based on the large lapillus and similarities to extant ariid lapilli. One Arkadelphia Formation specimen was extremely large at 19.36 mm in length and 14.02 mm in height ( Fig. 6H ), which is rare, considering that it was recovered from a bore sample. Stringer et al. (2020) stated that Vorhisia probably represents an extinct family of the Siluriformes or Ostariophysi, but there is also the possibility that it could relate to an extinct higher taxonomic group or even a non-teleost fish as some extant Holostei have large lapilli.

To state that V. vulpes is the most common species in the upper Maastrichtian Arkadelphia Formation is an understatement. The total specimens in the Arkadelphia Formation assemblage is 2,109, and 1,537 of those (72.88%) are V. vulpes . The species is abundant in the Severn Formation ( Huddleston and Savoie 1983), but noticeably less at 55%. Vorhisia vulpes is the most abundant species in the Kemp Clay, but its percentage is approximately 35% ( Schwarzhans and Stringer 2020a). The percentage of V. vulpes in the Arkadelphia Formation certainly seems to indicate that the paleoenvironmental parameters were decidedly conducive for its growth and proliferation. Vorhisia vulpes has not been found in Europe although Cretaceous otoliths have been investigated in several areas (Nolf 2003, Schwarzhans 2010, Schwarzhans and Jagt 2021). Current studies indicate that the distribution of Vorhisia vulpes is limited to the USA. As noted by Schwarzhans and Stringer (2020a), V. vulpes was one of the most prominent and widespread teleostean species to succumb to the K-Pg extinction event in North America.

Figures

Figure 6. Otoliths from the Cretaceous Arkadelphia Formation. All specimens unless otherwise noted are inner views of right sagittae. Length in mm. A. Kokenichthys navis Schwarzhans and Stringer (2020b), DMNH 2021-09-9, 4.10 mm. B. Clupeiform? indeterminate DMNH 2021-09-10, 1.42 mm. C. Arius subtilis Schwarzhans and Bratishko (2011), DMNH 2021-09-11, 4.61 mm. D. Vorhisia vulpes Frizzell (1965b), DMNH 2021-09-13, 2.49 mm. E. Vorhisia vulpes Frizzell (1965b), DMNH 2021-09-14, 3.06 mm. F. Vorhisia vulpes Frizzell (1965b), DMNH 2021-09-15, 3.99 mm. G. Vorhisia vulpes Frizzell (1965b), DMNH 2021-09-16, 7.98 mm. H. Vorhisia vulpes Frizzell (1965b), DMNH 2021-09-12, 19.36 mm.