A new polypterid fish: Polypterus faraou sp. nov. (Cladistia, Polypteridae) from the Late Miocene, Toros-Menalla, Chad |
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Authors: | OLGA OTERO OSSA LIKIUS PATRICK VIGNAUD MICHEL BRUNET |
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Institution: | Laboratoire de Géobiologie, Biochronologie et Paléontologie humaine, CNRS UMR 6046, Facultédes Sciences fondamentales et appliquées, UniversitéPoitiers, 40 av. du Recteur Pineau, F-86 022 Poitiers cedex, France; Département de Paléontologie, Universitéde N'Djaména, N'Djaména, Tchad |
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Abstract: | Polypterus faraou sp. nov. (Cladistia, Polypteridae) from the Late Miocene of Toros-Menalla (western Djourab, Chad) is described on the basis of a subcomplete articulated skeleton preserved in three dimensions. This is the first time such a complete fossil polypterid skeleton has been described. It is the only verifiable fossil record for the genus Polypterus . P. faraou closely resembles P. bichir and P. endlicheri , extant fish found in the Chad–Chari system. Intrarelationships among the polypterids are not yet resolved: however, P. faraou shows a primitive shape of the body and a primitive shape of the opening of the lateral line on the scales, similar to that of three living species ( P. bichir , P. endlicheri and P. ansorgii ). © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2006, 146 , 227–237. |
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Keywords: | anatomy Anthracotheriid Unit Polypteriformes western Djourab |
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