Araripichthys axelrodi, MAISEY & MOODY, 2001

MAISEY, JOHN G. & MOODY, JOHN M., 2001, A Review of the Problematic Extinct Teleost Fish Araripichthys, with a Description of a New Species from the Lower Cretaceous of Venezuela, American Museum Novitates 3324, pp. 1-27 : 4

Araripichthys axelrodi , new species

DIAGNOSIS: Araripichthys with dorsally directed premaxillary ascending process representing less than one­third total length of premaxilla: maxilla lacks rodlike anterior region, with weak articular surface anteriorly; supramaxillae not expanded vertically, anterior one shorter than the posterior; parietal posterior margin slightly embayed; epioccipital not forming distinct process.

HOLOTYPE: P­907 MBLUZ, University of Zulia, Paleontology Section Collection, Maracaibo, Venezuela (figs. 2, 3). Individual lacking tail, preserved length approx. 23 cm, Machiques Member (Aptian), Apon Formation, Rosarito Quarry, near Villa del Rosario , Venezuela, collected by J. M. Moody.

DERIVATION OF NAME: After Herbert Axelrod, in recognition of his generous support of research in paleoichthyology at the American Museum of Natural History.

STRATIGRAPHIC NOTE: The holotype of Araripichthys axelrodi came from a narrow bed in the Machiques Member of the Apon Formation that produces many Deshayesites ammonites, supporting its Aptian age. The Machiques Member is considered to be Aptian, even possibly lower Aptian, but the Apon Formation spans the Aptian­Albian, and some authors speculate that its base may even be of Barremian age (discussed in Renz, 1982).

MORPHOLOGICAL VARIATION IN ARARIPICHTHYS

Araripichthys is a specialized teleost whose most evident external morphological features include a deep and laterally compressed body lacking pelvic fins (e.g., A. axelrodi , fig. 2; A. castilhoi , fig. 4). The genus is also characterized by elaborate and presumably highly protrusible mouthparts that closely resemble those of many acanthomorph teleosts (see figs. 3, 5, 6). As the genus is no longer monotypic, some comments are included below regarding the extent of morphological variation encompassed by the genus and reflected in the species­level diagnoses presented above. A revised familylevel diagnosis is presented above. Since the family presently contains a single genus, diagnoses are provisionally regarded as coextensive.

Many features described in the type species of Araripichthys are also present in the other two nominal species and are retained Fig. 2.