TELEOST OTOLITHS FROM THE AQUITANIAN (EARLY MIOCENE) OF THE FELLI SECTION IN GREECE: THE ROOTS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN GOBY STOCK (GOBIIDAE, GOBIIFORMES)
- Resource Type
- article
- Authors
- WERNER SCHWARZHANS; KONSTANTINA AGIADI; DANAE THIVAIOU
- Source
- Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia, Vol 127, Iss 3 (2021)
- Subject
- Early Miocene
Greece
otoliths
sand gobies
Hellenigobius n. gen.
Plesiogobius n. gen.
Geology
QE1-996.5
Paleontology
QE701-760
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2039-4942
0035-6883
Fish otoliths have been obtained from the early Miocene (Aquitanian) Pentalofos Formation of the Mesohellenic Basin in northern Greece. These specimens represent the earliest Miocene shallow marine otolith records from the Mediterranean. Here, we describe the goby otoliths of the assemblage, which are the most common group at this location. They represent the earliest recognized species of two of the three main extant Atlantic-Mediterranean goby groups, the Pomatoschistus lineage and the Aphia lineage. The taxa are interpreted as being phylogenetically positioned near the base of their respective lineages. The new taxa described are Hellenigobius praeschismatus n. gen. et n. sp. and Plesiogobius felliensis n. gen. et n. sp. A third species is tentatively related to Nematogobius in open nomenclature.