Sciaenops, GILL, 1863

Cicimurri, David J., Knight, James L. & Ebersole, Jun A., 2022, Early Oligocene (Rupelian) fishes (Chondrichthyes, Osteichthyes) from the Ashley Formation (Cooper Group) of South Carolina, USA, PaleoBios 39 (1), pp. 1-38 : 24

SCIAENOPS GILL, 1863

? SCIAENOPS SP.

FIG. 11A–D

Type species — Perca ocellata, Linnaeus, 1766 ;Recent.

Referred specimens (n=281) —SC2007.36.114 (13 teeth), SC2007.36.166 (41 teeth), SC2007.36.167 (54 teeth), SC2007.36.201, SC2007.36.260 ( Fig. 11 AB), SC2007.36.261 ( Fig. 11C–D ), SC2015.29.179 (four teeth), SC2015.29.180, SC2015.29.189 (seven teeth), SC2015.29.190 (19 teeth), SC2015.29.193 (104 teeth), SC2015.29.198 (26 teeth), SC2015.29.199 (seven teeth), SC2015.29.215, SC2015.29.216.

Description —The teeth are tall and cylindrical and are slightly curved posteriorly. The upper two-thirds of the tooth are covered with a smooth enameloid whereas the lower one-third consists of exposed dentine. Unworn teeth have a bluntly pointed apex, whereas the apex on others have a flat wear facet. The apex is more recurved and often slightly smaller in diameter than the rest of the tooth. The teeth are circular in basal outline and have a small, oval, and offset pulp cavity that is surrounded by a thick wall of dentine.

Remarks —The teeth in our sample compare exceptionally well with those on the pharyngeals of a Recent Sciaenops ocellatus ( Linnaeus, 1766) specimen we examined (MSC 42611). These specimens differ from the similar Osteoglossidae teeth in our sample by having a more recurved apex that is not translucent. Recent molecular data provided by Near et al. (2013) and Lo et al. (2015) both support the genera Micropogonias and Sciaenops as sister taxa that likely diverged from a common ancestor at some point during the late Oligocene to early Miocene. This suggests that the Ashley Formation teeth represent either a basal member of Sciaenops or an unknown and undescribed Rupelian sciaenid that is ancestral to both Micropogonias and Sciaenops .

Figures

Figure 11. Teleost teeth from the Givhans Ferry Member, Ashley Formation (Rupelian), Dorchester County, South Carolina. A, B.?Sciaenops sp. tooth, SC2007.36.200.1 in profile (A) and basal (B) views. C, D.?Sciaenops sp. tooth, SC2007.36.200.2 in profile (C) and basal (D) views. E–G.?Pogonias sp. tooth, SC2007.36.196 in occlusal (E), profile (F), and basal (G) views. H–J.?Calamus sp. tooth, SC2007.36.198 in occlusal (H), profile (I), and basal (J) views. K–M. Archosargus sp. molariform tooth, SC2007.36.197 in occlusal (K), profile (L), and basal (M) views. N–Q. Archosargus sp. incisiform tooth, SC2007.36.200 in profile (N), lingual (O), labial (P), and basal (Q) views. R–U. Archosargus sp. incisiform tooth, SC2015.29.219 in profile (R), lingual (S), labial (T), and basal (U) views. V, W. Archosargus sp. pharyngeal tooth, SC2007.36.192 in profile (V) and anterior (W) views. X, Y. Archosargus sp. pharyngeal tooth, SC2007.36.193 in profile (X) and anterior (Y) views. Z, AA. Diplodus sp. tooth, SC2015.29.222 in lingual (Z) and posterior (AA) views. BB‒CC. Diplodus sp. tooth, SC2015.29.224 in lingual (BB) and posterior (CC) views. Scale bar=0.5 mm in V,W; 1 mm in A–U, X–CC.