New insights into Late Devonian vertebrates and associated fauna from the Cuche Formation (Floresta Massif, Colombia)

Abstract

New vertebrate remains are reported from the Late Devonian (?Frasnian) Cuche Formation of northeastern Colombia, including a new taxon of antiarch placoderm (Colombialepis villarroeli, gen. et sp. nov., previously reported as Asterolepis) and a new taxon of arthrodiran placoderm (Colombiaspis rinconensis, gen. et sp. nov.). We also report evidence of a stegotrachelid actinopterygian, a diplacanthid acanthodian (cf. Florestacanthus morenoi), a second antiarch placoderm (Bothriolepis sp.), a putative megalichthyid, and a putative tristichopterid. The absence of typical Euramerican markers, e.g., Asterolepis and Strepsodus, in this assemblage suggests that faunal interchange between Euramerica and Gondwana was less pronounced during the Frasnian-Famennian than previously thought (i.e., the Great Devonian Interchange hypothesis). Three arthropod taxa, including two families of spinicaudatan branchiopods and the eurypterid Pterygotus cf. bolivianus, are found to be associated with the reported vertebrate fauna. Pterygotus cf. bolivianus represents the first eurypterid described from Colombia and the youngest known pterygotid eurypterid, highlighting that pterygotids, which were competitors for large predatory fishes, did not go extinct during the major vertebrate radiation in the Early and Middle Devonian. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:08B0A655-7D78-4B09-B4F4-CF548522D205

The early diversification of ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii): hypotheses, challenges and future prospects

“…Isolated jaw elements, body impressions and scales from Famennian deposits in South Africa likely represent a single actinopterygian amid a diverse array of other fishes (Gess & Whitfield, 2020), while renewed prospecting in the contemporary Maïder Basin in Morocco has produced remains of a single articulated actinopterygian (Frey et al, 2018) amongst its well-known placoderm and chondrichthyan assemblages. New South American discoveries include evidence of a stegotrachelid actinopterygian from the Frasnian of Colombia (Olive et al, 2019), the first actinopterygian remains from the Devonian of the Parnaíba Basin of Brazil (Pais de Rezende et al, 2021), and a new circumpolar species from the Middle Devonian (Figueroa, Weinschütz, & Friedman, 2021). As in other localities, non-actinopterygian fishes dominate these faunas (Janvier, 2007;Janvier & Maisey, 2010;Figueroa & Machado, 2018).…”

The Bothriolepis (Placodermi, Antiarcha) material from the Valentia Slate Formation of the Iveragh Peninsula (middle Givetian, Ireland): Morphology, evolutionary and systematic considerations, phylogenetic and palaeogeographic implications

“…perija is encountered in western Venezuela [ 103 , 104 ], and Bothriolepis sp. in the Cuche Formation of Columbia [ 105 , 106 ]. Eastward from the Caledonian Mountains in Euramerica, the genus is present in the mid-late Frasnian of the Alves Beds of Scotland with B .…”

First record of palaeozoic vertebrates from Peru

“…As stated above, a short preliminary field expedition allowed us to locate the in situ fossiliferous levels. Consequently, we expect that new and more extensive field research will provide abundant new fossils material that will be of great significance for elucidating early gnathostome relationships, in particular of these problematic groups, and contribute to resolving the problems of global palaeobiogeography during the Devonian (see Janvier & Maisey, 2010;Olive et al, 2019) Supplementary information. This article has no additional data.…”

“…In comparison with other continents, the fossil record of Devonian vertebrates in South America is notably scarce (see an overview in Janvier & Maisey, 2010;Racheboeuf et al, 2012;or Olive et al, 2019;Botella et al, 2020 for more recent findings). This situation is particularly evident in Peru, where no Devonian vertebrates have been formally reported so far.…”