Spinocaudichthys oumtkoutensis, a freshwater acanthomorph from the Cenomanian of Morocco

Vertebrate assemblages from the early Late Cretaceous of southeastern Morocco: An overview

“…in the same sedimentary package as the Kem Kem beds compound assemblage), the faunal composition of this lens is peculiar and warrants further discussion. Dutheil (1999a) described an indeterminate batoid from this locality, the cladistian Serenoichthys kemkemensis (Dutheil, 1999b) and two other, as yet unnamed, cladistians (Dutheil, 2009), an indeterminate actinopterygian, Diplospondichthys moreaui (Filleul and Dutheil, 2004), and Spinocaudichthys oumtkoutensis which is the oldest known freshwater acanthomorph (Filleul and Dutheil, 2001). Diplospondichthys in particular exhibits a strange combination of characters, especially diplospondylous vertebrae, which led Filleul and Dutheil (2004) to compare this species with various taxa among halecomorphs, basal neopterygians and Anguilliformes.…”

A peculiar diplospondylous actinopterygian fish from the Cretaceous of Morocco

“…In fact, something recalling the 'supraneurals' exists in one species from the same locality as Diplospondichthys. Spinocaudichthys oumtkoutensis (Filleul and Dutheil, 2001), an acanthomorph, displays procurrent spines that have the same relation with the neural and haemal spines, but no relation with the rays or the fins. Its procurrent spines are restricted to the posterior part of the body.…”

“…comm.). An intriguing acanthomorph described by Filleul and Dutheil (2001) displays a peculiar combination of characters that does not fit with the current classification of acanthomorphs (e.g., Johnson and Patterson, 1993). This form, which has been classified as an acanthomorph incertae sedis, is at present the oldest freshwater acanthomorph known.…”

“…Numerous other fossils have been collected in this unit, including plant remains (gymnosperms and angiosperms), molluscs (unionids), insects (odonates and ephemeropterans), crustaceans (decapods, isopods). As for the ichthyofauna, the diversity is extremely high, and representatives of the following taxa have already been found: batoids, polypterids (Dutheil, 1999a), osteoglossiforms, clupeomorphs, and acanthomorphs (Dutheil, 1999b;Filleul and Dutheil, 2001). Fishes from other groups (hybodonts, ostariophysans, possible polymixiiforms) are currently under study.…”

Four new basal acanthomorph fishes from the Late Cretaceous of Morocco

“…The earliest forms are from the very early Cenomanian of North America: Xenyllion zonenesis Wilson and Murray, 1996, from Alberta, a second species of Xenyllion from Utah that was given a preliminary description by Stewart (1996) and is formally described and named by Newbrey et al (2013), Muhichthys cordobai González-Rodríguez and Fielitz, 2008, from Mexico, and additional taxa from Tethyan deposits in Lebanon (e.g., Freigichthys elleipsis Otero, 1997, andHgulichthys spinus Otero, Dutour, andGayet, 1995). At least 17 other Tethyan acanthomorph genera have been reported less precisely as coming from Cenomanian deposits (e.g., Patterson, 1993;Filleul and Dutheil, 2001;Forey et al, 2003;Bannikov and Sorbini, 2005). There are fewer Turonian acanthomorphs known, with only four genera reported from Tethyan deposits (Patterson, 1993), one from southern Brazil (Gallo-daSilva and Figueiredo, 1999) and three (one unnamed) from Western Interior Seaway deposits (Arratia and Chorn, 1998;Murray and Cumbaa, 2013) although the identity of one of these as an acanthomorph is disputed (Maisey and Moody, 2001).…”