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New species of Saurichthys (Actinopterygii: Saurichthyidae) from Middle Triassic (Anisian) of Yunnan Province, China
Author(s) -
WU Feixiang,
SUN Yuanlin,
HAO Weicheng,
JIANG Dayong,
XU Guanghui,
SUN Zuoyu,
TINTORI Andrea
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
acta geologica sinica ‐ english edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.444
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1755-6724
pISSN - 1000-9515
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-6724.2009.00056.x
Subject(s) - actinopterygii , anatomy , vertebral column , paleontology , genus , geology , mandible (arthropod mouthpart) , type species , biology , fish <actinopterygii> , zoology , fishery
Saurichthys dawaziensis sp. nov., from the third member of the Gejiu Formation (Anisian of Middle Triassic) in the vicinity of Luoping, Yunnan Province, is a small to medium‐ sized saurichthyid fish. It is characterized by the efferent pseudobranchial arteries penetrating on the parasphenoid and the mandible sensory canal with a branch in the angular. The new species is more derived than the Lower Triassic species in having a relatively narrow postorbital region, short preopercular, single ossification of the sclerotic ring, small haemal arches between the pelvic fins and the anal fin without ossified spines, and in the absence of quadratojugal. It is more primitive than the Middle and Upper Triassic Saurichthys in having fringing fulcra and numerous segments in the unpaired fins, and the presence of both prae‐ and post‐zygapophyses in the neural arches. Some anatomic changes related to the vertebral column and unpaired fins of the genus are also discussed.