RESEARCH ARTICLE New evidence indicates the presence of barracuda (Sphyraenidae) and supports a tropical marine environment in the Miocene of Madagascar Michael D. Gottfried1*, Karen E. Samonds2, Summer A. Ostrowski3, Tsiory Harimalala Andrianavalona4, Tolotra Niaina Ramihangihajason4 1 Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan United States of America, 2 Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, a1111111111 United States of America, 3 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha, a1111111111 Wisconsin, United States of America, 4 DeÂpartement de PaleÂontologie et d'Anthropologie Biologique, a1111111111 Universite d'Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar a1111111111 *
[email protected] a1111111111 Abstract OPEN ACCESS Recent exploration of Miocene-age deposits at Nosy Makamby, a small island ~50 km southwest of Mahajanga city in northwestern Madagascar, has led to the recovery of a large Citation: Gottfried MD, Samonds KE, Ostrowski SA, Andrianavalona TH, Ramihangihajason TN sample [82] of isolated barracuda teeth (Sphyraena sp.). in a tropical marine fauna that also (2017) New evidence indicates the presence of includes diverse marine invertebrates, chondrichthyans, bony fishes, turtles, crocodylians, barracuda (Sphyraenidae) and supports a tropical and sirenians. Characteristically for barracudas, the teeth are labiolingually flattened and marine environment in the Miocene of fang-like with a broadly triangular and blade-like acuminate outline and sharply edged but Madagascar. PLoS ONE 12(5): e0176553. https:// doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0176553 unserrated cutting margins. These barracudas inhabited an environment that included coral reefs (based on fossil scleractinians) and seagrass beds (evidenced by the epiphytic benthic Editor: Geerat J. Vermeij, University of California, UNITED STATES foraminifera Elphidium sp.).