PALAEOGADUS CF. P. WELTONI SCHWARZHANS AND STRINGER,

2020a

FIG. 8A

Material— one small,slightly eroded specimen, DMNH 2021-09-23.

Description and Remarks— The one Arkadelphia Formation specimen assigned to Palaeogadus weltoni is very small and eroded. However, it was felt that it possessed enough gadid features to compare it to Palaeogadus cf. P. weltoni . Similarities include the overall oblong shape (sensu Smale et al. 1995), the slightly convex inner face; the tapered and rounded anterior and posterior margins that are almost alike; the homosulcoid-type sulcus; a broadly, gently arched dorsal margin; a very shallow ventral margin that approaches horizontal; and a prominent ventral furrow extending from under the anterior of the ostium to near the posterior of the cauda; the anterior and posterior ends of the ventral furrow appear to turn upwards. It compares very well to the one specimen of P. weltoni illustrated by Schwarzhans and Stringer (2020a) from the Kemp Clay in Texas and to the specimens shown by Stringer and Schwarzhans (2021) from the Severn Formation in Maryland. Palaeogadus is an extinct genus that is known from otoliths and skeletons from the early Paleogene of Europe (Schwarzhans 2003, fig. 20A–I).