A long-snouted marine bonytongue (Teleostei: Osteoglossidae) from the early Eocene of Morocco and the phylogenetic affinities of marine osteoglossids

Abstract

Osteoglossid bonytongues (arapaimas, arowanas, and relatives) are extant tropical freshwater fishes with a relatively abundant and diverse fossil record. Most osteoglossid fossils come from a 25-million-year interval in the early Palaeogene, when these fishes were distributed worldwide in both freshwater and marine environments. Despite their biogeographic and palaeoecological relevance, and a relative abundance of well-preserved material, the evolutionary relationships between these Palaeogene forms and extant bonytongues remain unclear. Here we describe a new genus of bonytongue from early Eocene marine deposits of Morocco, represented by an articulated, three-dimensionally preserved skull with associated pectoral girdle. This taxon is characterized by an elongated snout, contrasting with the short jaws usually found in marine representatives of the clade. A revision of morphological characters in bonytongues allows us to place this new genus, together with other marine and freshwater Eocene taxa, within crown osteoglossids and closely related to extant arapaimines. The discovery of the new Moroccan taxon hints at a previously underestimated eco-morphological diversity of marine bonytongues, highlighting the diverse trophic niches that these fishes occupied in early Palaeogene seas.