Leptolepis kremmeldorfensis ( Schroeder , 1956)

Schwarzhans, Werner & Keupp, Helmut, 2022, Early teleost otolith morphogenesis observed in the Jurassic of Franconia, Bavaria, southern Germany, Zitteliana 96, pp. 51-67 : 51

Leptolepis kremmeldorfensis ( Schroeder, 1956)

Plate 3, figs 1-8

Otolithus kremmeldorfensis 1956 Otolithus kremmeldorfensis - Schröder: pl. 7, figs 34-35.

Otolithus amygdalinus 1956 Otolithus amygdalinus - Schröder: pl. 6, figs 4-6.

Otolithus bambergensis ?1956 Otolithus bambergensis - Schröder: pl. 6, fig. 19, pl. 7, fig. 20.

Otolithus franconicus ?1956 Otolithus franconicus - Schröder: pl. 7, figs 31-33.

Material.

11 specimens from Schröder’s collection from the late Toarcian to early Aalenian: holotype of Ot. kremmeldorfensis from Kremmeldorf (SNSB-BSPG 2022 III 35, Plate 3 , fig. 1) and 1 paratype from Kremmeldorf (SNSB-BSPG 2022 III 36, Plate 3 , fig. 2), holotype of Ot. amygdalinus from Kremmeldorf (SNSB-BSPG 2022 III 14, Plate 3 , fig. 3) and 1 paratype from Kremmeldorf (SNSB-BSPG 2022 III 15), 1 paratype of Ot. bambergensis from Freiahorn (SNSB-BSPG 2022 III 10, Plate 3 , fig. 4), holotype of Ot. franconicus from Kremmeldorf (SNSB-BSPG 2022 III 24, Plate 3 , fig. 5) and 5 paratypes, with 4 from Kremmeldorf (SNSB-BSPG 2022 III 25, 27-29, Plate 3 , fig. 6) and 1 from Freiahorn (SNSB-BSPG 2022 III 26).

Tentatively assigned specimens.

2 poorly preserved specimens from the late Pliensbachian of Buttenheim (SNSB-BSPG 2022 IV 15, Plate 3 , figs 7-8).

Differential diagnosis.

Leptolepis kremmeldorfensis shares its otolith and sulcus proportions with the coeval L. curvisulcatus and differs in its flat, low, and relatively long postdorsal rim. However, small specimens below 1 mm in length, which have been described as Ot. bambergensis and Ot. franconcius , mostly show a more rounded postdorsal rim similar to the status in L. normandica . Therefore, they are only tentatively attributed and could in fact represent juveniles of any other Leptolepis species.

Discussion.

As with L. curvisulcatus , the validity of L. kremmeldorfensis should be regarded as provisional until larger otoliths have become available from the region and stratigraphic interval. Although a single larger otolith of nearly 3 mm in length, designated as Ot. amygdalinus by Schröder (1956), shares the characteristic shape of the postdorsal rim, it is otherwise too eroded to make a firm identification. Two poorly preserved specimens from the late Pliensbachian of Buttenheim are tentatively accounted for in L. kremmeldorfensis because of their relatively shallow and long postdorsal rim. If verified, it would extend the stratigraphic reach of the species significantly.

Figures

Plate 3. Otoliths of Leptolepis kremmeldorfensis, L. inaequalis, L. macrocephalus, and Leptoelops rhenanus. figs 1 - 6: Leptolepis kremmeldorfensis (Schroeder, 1956); 1: holotype of Ot. kremmeldorfensis Schroeder, 1956 from Kremmeldorf (SNSB-BSPG 2022 III 35); 2: paratype of Ot. kremmeldorfensis Schroeder, 1956 from Kremmeldorf (SNSB-BSPG 2022 III 36); 3: holotype of Ot. amygdalinus Schroeder, 1956 from Kremmeldorf (SNSB-BSPG 2022 III 14); 4: paratype of Ot. bambergensis Schroeder, 1956 from Freiahorn (SNSB-BSPG 2022 III 10); 5: holotype of Ot. franconicus Schroeder, 1956 from Kremmeldorf (SNSB-BSPG 2022 III 24); 6: paratype of Ot. franconicus Schroeder, 1956 from Kremmeldorf (SNSB-BSPG 2022 III 27). figs 7, 8: Leptolepis cf. kremmeldorfensis (Schroeder, 1956), from the late Pliensbachian of Buttenheim, SNSB-BSPG 2022 IV 15. figs 9 - 11: Leptolepis inaequalis (Weiler, 1954); 9: holotype of Ot. puenzendorfensis Schroeder, 1956 from Puenzendorf (SNSB-BSPG 2022 III 39); 10: holotype of Ot. calloviensis Schroeder, 1956 from Puenzendorf (SNSB-BSPG 2022 III 8); 11: holotype of Ot. inaequalis Weiler, 1954 from the Callovian to Oxfordian of Kandern, Baden-Wuertemberg (SMF P. 3067). figs 12 - 13: Leptolepis macrocephalus (Schroeder, 1956); 12: holotype of Ot. guttaeformis Schroeder, 1956 from Puenzendorf (SNSB-BSPG 2022 III 6); 13: holotype of Ot. macrocephalus Schroeder, 1956 from Puenzendorf (SNSB-BSPG 2022 III 1). figs 14 - 16: Leptoelops rhenanus (Weiler, 1954); 14: holotype of Ot. rhenanus Weiler, 1954 from the Callovian of well Bruchsal D 205 (core from 482 to 487 m) near Weingarten, Baden-Wuerttemberg (SMF P. 2953); 15: holotype of Ot. rectisulcatus Schroeder, 1956 from Puenzendorf (SNSB-BSPG 2022 III 37); 16: holotype of Ot. scissus Schroeder, 1956 from Puenzendorf (SNSB-BSPG 2022 III 40).