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A new basal actinopterygian fish from the Middle Devonian Aztec Siltstone of Antarctica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2008

John A. Long ,
Brian Choo  and
Gavin C. Young
John A. Long*
Affiliation:
Museum Victoria, PO Box 666E, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
Brian Choo
Affiliation:
Museum Victoria, PO Box 666E, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
Gavin C. Young
Affiliation:
Museum Victoria, PO Box 666E, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
*
*[email protected]
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Abstract

A new basal actinopterygian fish, Donnrosenia schaefferi gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Middle Devonian (Givetian) Aztec Siltstone of southern Victoria Land, Antarctica. Donnrosenia gen. nov. is characterized by the large parietals which are of almost equivalent size to the frontals, very small intertemporals, a small accessory operculum situated dorsally to the prominent anterodorsal process of the suboperculum, a deep dentary with anterior flexure, porous ornamentation on the clavicle, an elongate body form with macromeric squamation, an absence of paired fringing fulcra on the fins, and pectoral lepidotrichia which are unsegmented for much of their length. A phylogenetic analysis based on dermal skeletal features of Devonian actinopterygians indicates that Donnrosenia gen. nov. is the sister taxon to Howqualepis from the Middle Devonian of Victoria, Australia, and is embedded within a possible clade containing the actinopterygians from the Gogo Formation, Western Australia. This supports the concept of an endemic radiation of East Gondwanan actinopterygians, and reinforces the already strong biogeographical similarities between the Middle Devonian palaeofaunas of Australia and Antarctica.

Keywords

ActinopterygiiAntarcticaDonnroseniaHowqualepididaenew taxa
Type
Earth Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 20 , Issue 4 , August 2008 , pp. 393 - 412
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2008

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