Early Access Research Articles
- Bannikov A.F., Zorzin R. & Carnevale G. (2026)
A putative butterflyfish from the Eocene of Monte Postale, northern Italy
pp. i-vi
doi: 10.4435/BSPI.2026.04
A fossil butterflyfish is described based on a single specimen from the Eocene of the Monte Postale site, Bolca Lagerstätten, northern Italy. Despite its poor preservation, the fossil exhibits a set of features that justify its attribution to the family Chaetodontidae, especially the sequential articulation between first dorsal-fin pterygiophore, supraneurals, and supraoccipital crest. The incompleteness of the specimen, however, does not allow for a more detailed taxonomic attribution. This fossil represents the earliest documented Chaetodontidae in the fossil record and provides additional evidence about the relevance of the Bolca Lagerstätten in the interpretation of origin and evolution of the modern reef communities.
- Pagliuzzi E., Marramà G., Delfino M., Medin T. & Carnevale G. (2026)
Pleistocene fish remains from the Aalat Formation, Dandiero Basin, Eritrean Danakil Depression
pp. i-xi
doi: 10.4435/BSPI.2026.05
The Pleistocene continental deposits of the Dandiero Basin (Northern Danakil Depression, Eritrea) are well known for the 1 Ma in age well-preserved erectus-like human remains. In addition, the productive sites of this rift basin have yielded numerous fossils documenting a rich Early to Middle Pleistocene vertebrate fauna of fishes, reptiles, birds and mammals. In this paper, we describe the bony fish remains collected from the Aalat Formation exposed in three different sites of the Dandiero Basin, including the Buia Homo site, Mulhuli-Amo and Dioli. Fish remains from these localities comprise a relatively well-preserved articulated head skeleton plus several isolated cranial and postcranial bones pertaining to the catfish genus Clarias, a pharyngeal tooth tentatively referred to the cyprinid genus Labeobarbus, and isolated vertebrae and a median-fin spine assigned to the family Cichlidae. The fish assemblage is indicative of the presence of heterogeneous fluvio-lacustrine habitats during the late Early Pleistocene of the Dandiero Basin.