Hastichthys totonacus sp. nov., a North American Turonian dercetid fish (Teleostei, Aulopiformes) from the Huehuetla quarry, Puebla, Mexico

New enchodontoid fish (Teleostei: Aulopiformes) from the Late Cretaceous of Lebanon

“…We here use the data matrix for fossil Aulopiformes provided by Alvarado-Ortega and Díaz-Cruz (2021). Their matrix [doi 10.1016/j.jsames.2020.102900] is based on an original matrix from Silva and Gallo (2011) with modifications and additions of taxa made by Díaz-Cruz et al (2016, 2019a, b, 2020) and Vernygora et al (2017).…”

“…The least homoplastic character in the matrix that might support monophyly of †Enchodontoidei is character #29 (ectopterygoid toothed; with a reversal (loss of teeth) in †Apuliadercetis, †Brazilodercetis, †Dercetoides, †Nardodercteis, and †Yabrudichthys. One of the reasons for this lack of support is that the data matrix we used (from Silva and Gallo, 2011, Vernygora et al, 2017, and Alvarado-Ortega and Díaz-Cruz, 2021 did not include features that have been used to support †Enchodontoidei by previous authors (e.g., Fielitz, 2004), and so these other features have not been tested as possible synapomorphies. One character suggested to support monophyly of the suborder is the condition of the maxilla, with enchodontoids having a long narrow maxilla forming part of the gape, whereas other Aulopiformes have the maxilla excluded from the gape (Nelson et al, 2016).…”

“…Five additional named taxa were excluded from the analyses of Silva and Gallo (2011) and Vernygora et al (2017), some because they had not yet been described, and some because they are only partial specimens. Of these, two enchodontids † Veridagon and † Vegrandichthys described by Díaz-Cruz et al (2019a, b, 2020) were added to the data matrix by Alvarado-Ortega and Díaz-Cruz (2021). The remaining excluded taxa are the enchodontoid incertae sedis † Ornatipholis (Cumbaa and Murray, 2008), dercetids † Kwangodercetis , † Leccedercetis , † Paradercetis , and † Scandiadercetis (Casier, 1965; Taverne 2005a, b, 2008) and enchodontid † Calypsoichthys (Argyriou et al, 2022).…”

“…The taxonomic relationships among the extinct families and genera have been studied and debated for decades (e.g., Goody, 1969; Taverne, 1991; Gallo et al, 2005; Alvarado-Ortega and Díaz-Cruz, 2021). A number of advances in our understanding of the relationships of these extinct taxa have been made in more recent years, particularly with the discovery of new fossil species from deposits around the world.…”

“…A number of advances in our understanding of the relationships of these extinct taxa have been made in more recent years, particularly with the discovery of new fossil species from deposits around the world. Enchodontoids inhabited many areas of the Tethys Sea from the Barremian (Early Cretaceous) through Danian (Paleocene), and have been found in marine deposits of Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and North and South America (Blanco and Alvarado-Ortega, 2006; Figueiredo and Gallo, 2006; Davis and Fielitz, 2010; Silva and Gallo, 2011, 2016; Vernygora et al, 2017; Wallaard et al, 2019; Alvarado-Ortega and Díaz-Cruz, 2021; Díaz-Cruz et al, 2020). Despite few confirmed synapomorphies for either monophyletic extinct family, members of †Dercetidae can be recognized by having an elongate body, long rostrum, comparatively short neural spines, and prominent scutes on the flanks (Gallo et al, 2005; Vernygora et al, 2017), while enchodontids and the incertae sedis members of the suborder show a much greater gross morphological diversity ().…”