Latest Articles from Zitteliana Latest 1 Articles from Zitteliana https://zitteliana.pensoft.net/ Fri, 29 Mar 2024 11:43:43 +0200 Pensoft FeedCreator https://zitteliana.pensoft.net/i/logo.jpg Latest Articles from Zitteliana https://zitteliana.pensoft.net/ Lanternfish otoliths (Myctophidae, Teleostei) from the Miocene of Japan https://zitteliana.pensoft.net/article/83571/ Zitteliana 96: 103-134

DOI: 10.3897/zitteliana.96.83571

Authors: Werner Schwarzhans, Fumio Ohe, Yuki Tsuchiya, Atsushi Ujihara

Abstract: Lanternfishes (Myctophidae) are one of the most common groups of fishes in the mesopelagic zone of the world ocean, and their otoliths have been dominant in pelagic sediments since at least Miocene times. Many species have a wide geographic distribution, with several being circumglobal. This wide distribution makes myctophid otoliths potentially useful for supraregional stratigraphic purposes. The Sea of Japan and the Northwest Pacific is an important region for investigations into the diversity and evolution of the Myctophidae. Here, we describe a large collection of myctophid otoliths from the late early to early middle Miocene (late Burdigalian to early Langhian) from six localities on western and central Honshu, which were under warm water influence during that time. A total of 22 species are recognized, of which eight are new. In the order in which they are described, the new species are Bolinichthys higashibesshoensis sp. nov., Ceratoscopelus brevis sp. nov., Lampadena exima sp. nov., Lampanyctus lenticularis sp. nov., Lampanyctus tsuyamaensis sp. nov., Stenobrachius ohashii sp. nov., Diaphus epipedus sp. nov., and Diaphus watatsumi sp. nov. At least nine species are also known from coeval sediments outside of Japan, most notably New Zealand and Europe. This distribution reflects the extraordinary geographic spread of myctophid species already in the early Miocene and indicates the potential for their future use for biostratigraphic purposes. The paleoecological and paleobiogeographical implications of the studied myctophid otolith assemblages are discussed. Furthermore, the stratigraphic ranges of the observed species are discussed and compared with data from other regions of the world in an attempt to outline the potential future application of myctophid otoliths for supraregional biostratigraphic purposes.

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