Myliobatids (Batoidei, Selachii) from The
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Cainozoic Research, 4(1-2), pp. 41-49, February 2006 Latest Miocene Myliobatids (Batoidei, Selachii) from the Alvalade Basin, Portugal ² Miguel Telles+Antunes¹ & Ausenda Cáceres+Balbino 1 Centro de Estudos Geologicos, Faculdade de Ciencias e Tecnologia (UNL)/ Quinta da Torre 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal. e-mail: [email protected] 2 Departamentode Geociencias, Universidade de Evora, Apartado 94, 7002-554 Evora, Portugal, e-mail: [email protected]. Received 5 April 2003; revised version accepted 12 January 2005 Myliobatid teeth from the EsbarrondadoiroFormation(Alvalade Basin, Portugal) are described. These teeth have been attributed to the Aetobatus A. cf. and Other teeth genera (represented by cappettai n. sp.), Myliobatis (M. aquila) Pteromylaeus (P. sp.). Myliobatid are from extinct whose taxonomic remains unresolved. an genus status colhidos da de de São descritos dentes de Myliobatidae em depósitos Formacão Esbarrondadoiro (Bacia Alvalade), dos géneros Aetoba- cf. Outros tus (representado por Aetobatus cappettai, nov. sp.), Myliobatis (M. aquila) e Pteromylaeus (P. sp.). dentes, pertencentes a ainda esclarecida.. géneros extintos, são de posição taxonómica não Key words: Myliobatidae, Alvalade Basin, Miocene, new species. Introduction sence ofthe extant great white shark, Carcharodon carcha- Pliocene rias Linne, 1758, that was more common in than The Alvalade basin its differentiationin (Portugal) began the at the time declining Carcharocles megalodon Agassiz, Miocene times. A horst the lower Alentejo region in Late 1843. Teeth of C. carcharias too to are large pass unno- of Paleozoic rocks (the Valverde horst) composed sepa- ticed after washing and sieving of tons of sedimentsfrom rated this from the much lower depression larger Tagus the EsbarrondadoiroFormation. Thus, a somewhat older basin (Antunes, Mein & Pais, 1986). Subsidence allowed than Pliocene age is inferredfor the Esbarrondadoirofauna successive marine The older two transgression events. which is compatible with the mammal-based. Latest Mio- event is probably correlated to the lowerpart ofthe Cacela indications. The selachian fauna is rich in cene age taxa Formation in the Algarve, of Late Tortonian as age, sug- and in specimens. It is the most modern among Miocene the mollusc fauna. The second gested by corresponding faunas fromEurope (Balbino, 1995; Antunes etal., 1999; event is marked by the deposition ofmostly sandy, micro- B albino & Cappetta, 2000). This paper deals with one of sediments in fossil-poor (occassionally pelitic some areas) the main batoid families from the Alvalade Basin, the of the Esbarrondadoiro Formation.The Esbarrondadoiro Myliobatidae. Formation yields molluscs, a rich marine fish fauna and rare freshwater fishes (Antunes et ah, 1995), chelonians (Trionyx), marine mammals and (in the same beds) a few Material land mammals: mastodont, Hipparion and remnants of other larger mammals, as well as lagomorphs, rodents and insectivores (Antunes, 1984; Antunes, Mein & Pais, 1986; All material is from three outcrops of the Esbarrondadoiro Smallmammals indica- Formationin Alvaladebasin Antunes & Mein, 1989, 1995). are the (Baixo Alentejo Province, tive of the MN13 zone (Late Turolian, ca 5-6 Ma). This Southern Portugal). These are: SantaMargarida, Esbarron- age more or less corresponds to the Messinian (Latest Mio- dadoiroand Vale de Zebro (see Balbino & Cappetta, 2000 cene). The marine fish fauna of the EsbarrondadoiroFor- for further details). The Formation is of Late Miocene mationclearly differs from fish faunas ofPlioceneage from (Messinian) age and also assigned to the MN13 mammal- SE Spain (as one of us, M.T.A., couldobserve in material zone (Late Turolian). Based on magnetostratigraphy an age from the Elche area) and Belgium (Antunes, 1978; Cap- between 5.3 and 5.8 Ma has been inferredfor these depos- petta, 1987). The most evident difference lies in the ab- its. -42- -43- All specimens are from Esbarrondadoiro (Baixo Alentejo Province, Portugal), collected in the Late Miocene Esbarrondadoiro Formation by the authors. -44- 1-8. Aetobatus Antunes & lower dentition. 1 -Incom- Figures cappettai Balbino,nov. sp.: (1-4) upper dentition,(5-8) (mandibular) tooth: labial occlusal - plete a, view; b, lingual view; c, view; d, basal view; e, profile. 2 holotype (SEV 20), incomplete tooth : a, labial view; b, lingual view; c, occlusal view; d, basal view; e, profile. 3 - Incomplete tooth: a, labial view; b, lingual view; c, occlusal view; d, basal view. 4 - Nearly complete tooth: a, occlusal view; b, basal view. 5 - Incomplete tooth: a, occlusal view; b, basal view; c, profile, 6 - Nearly complete tooth: a, occlusal view; b, basal view. 7 - Incomplete tooth: a, occlusal view; b, basal view. 8 - Incomplete tooth: a, occlusal view; b, basal view. Institutionalabbreviations - Figures 1-8 MP Paleontology Laboratory, Universite de Montpellier Holotype - SEV 20 Figures 2a-e. Type locality: Esbarron- II, Montpellier, France; dadoiro in the Alvalade basin. Southern Portugal. Stratum SEV Palaeontological Collections, Evora University, typicum: Esbarrondadoiro Formation, Alvalade basin Evora, Portugal. (Baixo Alentejo Province, SouthernPortugal); Latest Mio- cene, late Messinian or MN13 mammal-zoneon the basis of the small mammals from the same beds (corresponding Systematic palaeontology to Late Turolian); magnetostratigraphic age, ca 5.3 to 5.8 Ma. Class Chondrichtyes Huxley, 1880 Subclass Elasmobranchii Bonaparte, 1838 Othermaterial studied- Santa Margarida (7 teeth), Esbar- Superorder Batomorphii Cappetta, 1980 rondadoiro (258 teeth) and Vale de Zebro (51 teeth). Order Myliobatiformes Compagno, 1973 Superfamily Myliobatoidea Compagno, 1973 Derivatio nominis - The species name is dedicated to Dr. Jordan, 1888 Henri-Charles renowned Family Myliobatidae Cappetta (Montpellier), a pa- leoichthyologist whose collaboration we have greatly ap- preciated. The family Myliobatidae comprises the following extant Aetobatus - teeth genera: Blainville, 1816, Aetomylaeus Carman, Diagnosis Upper narrow, long, slightly convex; 1908, Myliobatis Cuvier, 1817 and Pteromylaeus Carman, crown low, thickened in the central part; lateral extremities 1913 (see Bigelow & Schroeder, 1953;Compagno, 1973). prominent; root higher than crown, decreasing in height Nishida included in (1990) this family the genera Rhinop- from the centre to the edges; blades on the labial face are tera Cuvier, 1829, Mobula (Rafinesque, 1810) and Manta almost smooth, lacking marked grooves; grooves on the Bancroft, 1828, but excluded Pteromylaeus. Nelson (1994) lingual face very marked, they persist almost to the crown; subdivided the family Myliobatidae into the subfamilies basal surface of the root with narrow, deep grooves as well Mobulinae Mantaand Mobula), Aetobatus as all of the same lower teeth arched and ( Myliobatinae ( , blades, width; and and basal Aetomylaeus, Myliobatis Pteromylaeus) Rhinop- labially convex, extremely flat; angle ca 30°, with terinae (Rhinoptera). Other myliobatid genera are only very oblique basal face; root high, thinning from the central known from the fossil record; Apocopodon Cope, 1885, part to the lateral edges; blades wide and separated by Brachyrhizodus Romer, 1942, Garabatis Cappetta, 1993, deep, wide grooves. Igdabatis Cappetta, 1972, Lophobatis Cappetta, 1986, Leidybatis Cappetta, 1986 and PseudoaetobatusCappetta, Description - The upperand lower teeth are notably differ- 1986. The tooth morphology of all these genera is signifi- ent. The upper teeth are narrow, long and slightly convex. cantly differentfrom thatofotherbatoids. Its dentitionis of The crown is low and thicker in its central part. Lateral the crushing type. The medial teeth are broad, juxtaposed extremities are prominent; in occlusal view, the lateral ex- intorows and forming (entirely or as the larger part) a den- tremities constitute a lateral border that is not affected by tal Medial teeth flanked 3 that abrasion. The face of the is plate. are by (at most) rows vertical, lingual crown sepa- become progressively smaller towards the commissure. In rated from the root by a thin edge. The root is thicker than some Myliobatidae with a very specialized dentition, the the crown; the thickness regularly decreases from the cen- lateralrows are much reduced or even lacking, whereas the tral part towards the borders (in lateral view). The basal medial row became progressively broader and may even surface presents alternating (narrow and shallow) grooves constitute the whole dental plate (as in Aetobatus). The and blades. Width is the same in all blades, whose basal dental is of the in surface is flat. The tooth’s section is root polyaulacorhize type, except some labio-lingual nearly genera where the very lateral rows of teeth have roots of straight. The arched lower teeth are labially convex. The the holaulacorhiza type. Myliobatids (also known as as slightly oblique lingual and labial faces of the crown are labial face of each tooth is angel-fishes) live in coastal, shallow, tropical to warm tem- parallel. The superimposed on the constitutes under which the perate waters. root. It a prominent edge, lingual border of the next tooth is located. This kind of root teethassociation results in a dental plate. The is thick, Genus Aetobatus Blainville, 1816 but thickness diminishes towards the lateral borders. The than blades are broader those ofthe upper teeth roots. They Aetobatus cappettai n. sp. are separated by broader and deeper grooves. -45 - 9-12. cf. 9 - lower tooth: labial Figures Myliobatis aquila