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New Materials of a Cretaceous Coelacanth, Mawsonia Lavocati Tabaste from Morocco

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New Materials of a Cretaceous Coelacanth, Mawsonia Lavocati Tabaste from Morocco Bull. Natn. Sci. Mus., Tokyo, Ser. C, 31, pp. 39–49, December 22, 2005 New Materials of a Cretaceous Coelacanth, Mawsonia lavocati Tabaste from Morocco Yoshitaka Yabumoto1 and Teruya Uyeno2 1 Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History and Human History, 2–4–1, Higashida, Yahatahigasiku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, 805–0071, Japan 2 Department of Geology and Paleontology, National Science Museum, 3–23–1, Hyakunin-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 169–0073, Japan Abstract New materials of coelacanth, Mawsonia lavocati and cf. Mawsonia lavocati from the Albian beds in Morocco are described here. They are a part of the cranium, palate, lower jaw, lachrymojugal, and operculum. The almost complete ethmosphenoid portion of the braincase, postparietal, and dentary of M. lavocati are described here for the first time. Key words : coelacanth, Mawsonia lavocati, Mawsoniidae, Morocco. Mawsonia lavocati Tabaste, 1963 Introduction Materials.—NSM (National Science Muse- Six species of the coelacanth genus Mawsonia um, Tokyo)-PV 20994, an almost complete eth- have been found from the Cretaceous beds of mosphenoid portion of braincase; NSM-PV South America and Africa (Forey, 1998; Yabu- 20995, a postparietal; NSM-PV 20996, a den- moto, 2002), of which, M. lavocati was de- tary; NSM-PV 20997, an angular. scribed on the basis of an angular from the Al- Locality.—Kem-Kem, Morocco. bian bed in Morocco (Tabaste, 1963). Further Age.—Albian, Cretaceous. Sereno et al. fragmentary cranial materials were described (1996) regarded the Kem Kem beds as Cenoman- from the Albian of Algeria (Wenz, 1981) and ian in age on the basis of a shark assemblage, but Morocco (Cavin and Forey, 2004). The National Cavin and Forey (2004) followed them with a Science Museum, Tokyo obtained some newly question mark. Forey (1998) and Wenz (1981) found specimens of M. lavocati and cf. M. lavo- considered the age of M. lavocati from Morocco cati from Morocco, including an almost com- and Algeria as Albian. The age of the present plete ethmosphenoid portion of the braincase, materials is probably Albian, because all con- postparietal, palate, lateral ethmoids, dentary and geners of Mawsonia have been found from Early operculum which have not been previously de- Cretaceous beds. scribed. In the present study these specimens are Emended diagnosis.—The ornamentation of described in detail, and the emended diagnosis the angular and the postparietal is vermiform for M. lavocati is presented. with heavy ridges. The large anterior apophysis for the intracranial joint of the postparietal heads Systematic description forward, and is located at the middle of the ante- rior margin. There are three pairs of nasals and at Order Coelacanthiformes Huxley, 1861 most three supraorbitals. Suborder Latimeroidei Schultze, 1993 Description of the specimens.—The estimat- Family Mawsoniidae, Schultze, 1993 ed length of the parietonasal shield (NSM-PV Genus Mawsonia Woodward, 1907 20994) is 292 mm. The posterior portion, maxi- mum width 96.6 mm is broader than the anterior 40 Yoshitaka Yabumoto and Teruya Uyeno portion, which abruptly narrows at the middle of portion behind the facet is thick with three small the most posterior tectals. pores on the ventral surface. The otic canal of the Both parietals are almost same in length, but postparietal is shown as a groove in the lateral the posterior one is wider and its width at the view, because the lateral part of the anterior por- posterior end about 2.4 times its anterior width. tion is missing. The anterior opening of the Both posterior parietals are almost same in shape branch of the otic canal is located at the anterior and size. There are three pairs of nasals. The pos- part of the otic canal (Fig. 4c and d). The orna- terior ones are larger than the anterior ones, but mentation of the dorsal surface is vermiform the second ones are slightly broader. (Fig. 1a and with radial heavy ridges being similar to that of b). the angular (Fig. 4a). There are three tectals on the right side and The dentary (NSM-PV 20996) is hook-like in two on the left, of which the posterior one is long shape with a lateral swelling, curving medially at (probably the second and third are fused). Three the anterior part. In lateral view, there is a con- right supraorbitals contact with both parietals. cavity behind the lateral swelling which has a The first supraorbital is largest and the second small pore at the ventral portion. The dorsal limb one is smallest. The first and second supraor- is shorter than the ventral limb (Fig. 6). There are bitals are fused on the left side. The left third several ridges on the medial surface of the dorsal supraorbital is almost same in shape and size as limb for the suture with the prearticular. The the right one (Fig. 1a and b). The ornamentation ridges on the medial surface of the ventral limb of the parietonasal shield is vermiform except for and the anterior portion are for the suture with the posterior portion of the anterior parietal and the angular (Fig. 6c ). most of the posterior parietals, which have ridged The anterior and posterior tips and the ventral ornamentation (Fig. 1a). margin of the angular (NSM-PV 20997) are In the ventral view, each lateral ethmoid has a missing (Fig. 6). The ornamentation on the later- hook-like shape with an almost flat, but slightly al surface is almost the same as that of the holo- convex ventral surface. In the lateral view, the type of M. lavocati. Several strong ridges run al- bone has the long dorsal limb contacting with most parallel with the dorsal margin of the poste- tectals, and the short ventral limb contacting with rior portion of the angular, and the strong radial the parasphenoid (Figs. 1c and d, and 2). The ridges run forward from the middle of the poste- parasphenoid is relatively wide with the anterior rior portion. The deepest point is about the mid- deep wing. The toothed area of the parasphenoid dle of the angular (Fig. 6). The medial surface of is longer than a half of the parasphenoid (Fig. 1c the angular is concave at the anterodorsal por- and d). tion. The contact surface with the prearticular The basisphenoid is deep and narrow with the has a triangular shape located below the facet for well-developed sphenotic condyles, which are articular which forms a large concavity facing slightly expanded laterally (Fig. 3). The antotic dorsally. The groove for the external mandibular process is located under the end of the posterior ramus runs just under the contact surface with most supraorbital and bear strong ridges (Figs. 1c the prearticular (Fig. 6c). and d, and 3). The processus connectens forms a protuberance from the sphenotic condyle. There cf. M. lavocati Tabaste, 1963 is a long cranial cavity in front of the oval con- cavity before the sphenoid condyles (Fig. 3). Materials.—NSM-PV 20998, a right princi- The left postparietal (NSM-PV 20995) has the pal coronoid; NSM-PV 20999, a left principal large anterior apophysis and the facet for the in- coronoid; NSM-PV 21000, a palate; NSM-PV tracranial joint on the ventral face at the middle 21001, a lachrymojugal; and NSM-PV 21002, an of the anterior margin (Figs. 4a and b and 5). The operculum. Mawsonia lavocati from Morocco 41 Fig. 1. The ethmosphenoid portion of braincase of Mawsonia lavocati, NSM-PV 20994, a and b, dorsal view, c and d, ventral view. Abbreviations: ant. prϭantotic process; Bsphϭbasisphenoid; LeϭLateral ethmoid; Naϭnasal; Paϭparietal; Parϭparasphenoid; Soϭsupraorbital; Teϭtectal; t. parϭtoothed area of parasphe- noid. 42 Yoshitaka Yabumoto and Teruya Uyeno Fig. 2. The ethmosphenoid portion of braincase of Mawsonia lavocati, NSM-PV 20994, a and b, left lateral view, c and d, right lateral view. Abbreviation: pr. conϭprocessus connectens; for other abbreviations see Fig. 1. Mawsonia lavocati from Morocco 43 Fig. 3. The dorsal view of the basisphenoid (Bsph) of Mawsonia lavocati, NSM-PV 20994. Abbreviations: ccϭcranial cavity; sph.c.ϭsphenotic condyle; for other abbreviations see Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4. The postparietal of Mawsonia lavocati, NSM-PV 20995, a and b, dorsal view, c and d lateral view. Ab- breviations: apaϭanterior apophysis; bocϭbranch of the otic canal; ocϭotic canal; fa. i. jϭfacet for the in- tracranial joint. 44 Yoshitaka Yabumoto and Teruya Uyeno narrow part forms a facet with many ridges for the prearticular. There are minute teeth on the medial surface of the principal coronoid (Fig. 7a). The left palate (NSM-PV 21000) is preserved without the autopalatine, missing the anterior portion of the pterygoid. In lateral view, the metapterygoid has an almost triangular shape with the wide dorsal margin, which has a wide flat surface for the cranial articulation at the mid- dle. The process points antero-dorsally, and later- ally becomes thin toward the posterior edge. The most part of the medial surface of the pterygoid except for the dorsal portion is covered with minute teeth (the part bordered by the bro- ken line in Fig. 8b). The anterior portion of the pterygoid is thin and slightly twisted. The ventral margin of the pterygoid is swollen immediately in front of the quadrate. The quadrate is a robust bone ending as a large double condyle. The larger medial condyle lies anterior to the lateral condyle. The dorsal part Fig. 5. The postparietal of Mawsonia lavocati, from the lateral condyle forms the stout ridge. NSM-PV 20995, a and b, ventral view. Abbre- viation see Fig. 3. The anterior margin of the quadrate from the me- dial condyle forms a ridge (Fig. 8c and d). Whereas the medial surface of the lachrymoju- Locality.—Kem-Kem, Morocco. gal (NSM-PV 21001) is flat, the ventral part of Age.—Albian, Early Cretaceous.
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