Description of two early Middle Eocene marine fish from eastern Cuba
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Abstract
The ichthyofauna from the Cenozoic of the Caribbean is mostly known from fossil sharks and rays, and a reduced number of bony fishes. Most of these fossils were collected from Neogene deposits, whereas those of Paleogene age are rare. Here we report and describe two early Middle Eocene ray-finned fish (Teleostei) from vulcano-sedimentary deposits of the El Caney Formation of Eastern Cuba. The extraordinary preservation of the fossils, which includes the soft tissue outline of the specimens, allow for a unique opportunity to study, and approximate their classification. Morphological characteristics and preliminary taxonomic analysis suggest that one of these specimens belongs to the family Percopsidae while the other exhibits affinities to either the Lutjanidae or Cichlidae families. These two specimens are the oldest known members of their respective families in the Antillean region, and they add significantly to our understanding of the Eocene marine vertebrates and aquatic ecosystems of the Caribbean.
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