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The Pliocene Elizabethtown otolith assemblage (Bladen County, North Carolina, USA) with indications of a primary fish nursery area
Historical Biology
Abstract
Bulk sampling of Pliocene (2.5–3.1 Ma, Piacenzian) beds at the Elizabethtown locality (Bladen County, North Carolina) produced 745 teleostean otoliths (17 taxa, representing extant fish off the U.S. Atlantic coast). Sciaenids dominate the assemblage (8 taxa; 44.4% of the total) and account for an extremely large percentage of total specimens (93.2%). The number of species (richness) at Elizabethtown is relatively small, and percentage abundance indicates a very large unevenness with Micropogonias undulatus and Leiostomus aff. L. xanthurus (91.4% of the specimens). Otolith assemblages from Elizabethtown and Lee Creek Mine, one of the most extensively studied North Carolina Pliocene sites, were compared. Assemblages were extremely dissimilar (percentage similarity measurement of 3.3%). Modern distributions of M.undulatus and L. aff. L.xanthurus are very strong indicators of shallow, soft bottom estuarine creeks and bays. The preponderance of juvenile M.undulatus (99.5% represent 1-year-old or less) is a strong indicator for a primary nursery area. This specialised habitat explains the dominance of juvenile Atlantic croakers and spots, the high percentage of fishes distributed in freshwater, brackish, and marine environments, and the paucity of marine-only species. The specialised habitat indicated at Elizabethtown would also account for the pronounced difference between the Elizabethtown and Lee Creek otolith assemblages.
... This is the only known occurrence of the species in the U.S. However, other species of Urophycis have been reported as fossils including Urophycis tenuis (Fitch and Lavenberg 1983), Urophycis floridana (Stringer and Bell 2018;Stringer and Shannon 2019), and Urophycis sp. (Stringer 1992). ...
... Although Cynoscion arenarius is fairly well represented at the Dauphin Island site with 19 sagittae, this is the first known fossil occurrence of the species based on otoliths in the U.S. Otoliths of other fossil Cynoscion species have been reported in the Gulf and Atlantic coastal plains (Fitch and Lavenberg 1983;Stringer 1992;Müller 1999;Stringer and Bell 2018;Stringer and Shannon 2019), but Cynoscion arenarius has not been recovered as a fossil in the U.S. However, the species has been reported from Trinidad by Nolf (1976) and Aguilera et al. (2016). ...
... Specimens identified as L. aff. L. xanthurus composed 40% of the assemblage in a Pliocene site in North Carolina believed to represent an estuarine, primary fish nursery area (Stringer and Shannon 2019). It should be noted that several specimens referred to as L. cf. ...
The first Pliocene teleostean otoliths from the Gulf Coastal Plain are described from Dauphin Island, Mobile County, Alabama, USA. The 250 otolith specimens, mainly sagittae, were obtained from shell hash dredged from an offshore Pliocene unit deposited onshore as part of recent beach nourishment. Analysis of the otoliths revealed 22 species from 11 teleostean families. Sciaenid fishes dominate the assemblage and account for 79.6% of the total specimens, while the other 10 families (including indeterminates) comprise approximately 20% of the total. Comparison to modern biological and ecological requirements for the fishes represented by the otoliths suggest a shallow (0–20 m) neritic environment with some brackish and rare deep-water influence. Several of the most abundant taxa indicate shallow, soft bottom estuarine habitat with upstream oligohaline creeks (0.5 to 5.0 ppt salinity) serving as primary nursery area. However, the percentage of marine-only species may indicate more interaction with open estuary and shallow coastal areas and subtropical waters. The lack of invertebrate settlement on the otoliths likely indicates limited surface residence-time. All 22 taxa recovered from the Dauphin Island site are highly significant since they represent the first Pliocene occurrences of these taxa within the Gulf Coastal Plain of North America.
... Numerous studies, including Huddleston and Savoie (1983), Nolf (1985Nolf ( , 2003Nolf ( , 2013, Stringer (1992Stringer ( , 1998, Schwarzhans (1993Schwarzhans ( , 1996Schwarzhans ( , 2003Schwarzhans ( , 2010, Nolf and Brzobohaty (1994), Nolf and Stringer (1996), Lin (2016), Lin *Author for correspondence PaleoBios 40(3) 2023PaleoBios 40(3) et al. (2016, Stringer et al. (2016, Schwarzhans et al. (2018a, b), Stringer and Bell (2018), and Stringer and Shannon (2019), as well as many other references contained in the aforementioned publications, have corroborated the value of otoliths in determining and interpreting bony fish fossil assemblages. In their long-term study of the upper Eocene Yazoo Clay in Louisiana, Breard and Stringer (1995) recovered 12 actinopterygians based on skeletal remains (primarily teeth). ...
... The occurrence of fish indicative of such diverse climatic ranges is very unusual in otolith assemblages in the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains, especially in the Gulf Coastal Plain (Fitch and Lavenberg 1983, Huddleston and Savoie 1983, Schwarzhans et al. 2018b, Stringer and Bell 2018, Ebersole et al. 2019, Stringer and Shannon 2019). This occurrence would seem to signify atypical and different parameters than what normally occurs in the Gulf and Atlantic coastal plains. ...
The fortuitous discovery of Cretaceous (late Maastrichtian) teleostean otoliths in boring samples (17–31 m below ground level) from the Arkadelphia Formation near Cabot, Arkansas, USA, has consequential and overarching ramifications. The otolith assemblage, which is relatively large with 2,109 specimens, represents the first Mesozoic otolith assemblage described from Arkansas and one of the largest Cretaceous assemblages from a single USA site. The diversity of the assemblage is fairly large with a richness of 19 species with three additional taxa in open nomenclature and one unknown lapillus, which more than doubles the known actinopterygians from the Arkadelphia Formation. The otolith assemblage is extremely uneven in its diversity with one species, a putative siluriform Vorhisia vulpes Frizzell (1965b), accounting for approximately 73% of the total. The most unique feature of the otolith assemblage is the presence of cool-water gadiforms, which represent approximately 7.6% of the total assemblage. The presence of the gadiforms is related to the effects of the Western Interior Seaway and paleogeography during the Late Cretaceous in the western Gulf Coastal Plain. The gadiforms may represent relicts of a greater population and distribution in the early Maastrichtian. Percentage similarity measurements of the otolith assemblage indicate that the Arkadelphia Formation is more closely related to the Severn Formation in eastern Maryland (57.86%) and the Kemp Clay Formation in northeast Texas (35.77%) than to the Ripley Formation in northeastern Mississippi (5.34%). The similarity measurements and other factors indicate that the Arkadelphia Formation otolith assemblage belongs to the Western Interior Seaway community (bioprovince). The Arkadelphia Formation otolith assemblage also contains several taxa that become extinct, such as the ubiquitous V. vulpes, at the K-Pg extinction event. The otoliths point to a very shallow marine environment (possibly inner shelf; less than 20 m in depth) with estuarine and freshwater input nearby and may be utilized for refinement of paleoshorelines for the southern reaches of the Western Interior Seaway during the Late Cretaceous.
... Based on this investigation, there is evidence indicating the following: (1) there are no extinct forms of fossil Aplodinotus before the Oligocene in the marine environment (Stringer 1977(Stringer , 1986(Stringer , 2011(Stringer , 2016Müller 1999;Green 2002;Nolf 2003Nolf , 2013Nolf and Stringer 2003;Ebersole et al. 2019); (2) there are numerous occurrences of putative extinct Aplodinotus in shallow marine waters (mainly inner shelf), primarily during the Oligocene and extending to the early Miocene (Müller 1999;Miller 2000;Stringer et al. 2001;Stringer and Worley 2003;Worley 2004;Worley and Stringer 2004;Nolf 2013;Ebersole et al. 2021) in the Gulf and Atlantic coastal plains of the USA; and (3) there is no evidence of Aplodinotus (sensu stricto) in the marine environment after the early Miocene (Stringer 1992;Müller 1999;Stringer and Bell 2018;Stringer and Shannon 2019;Stringer and Hulbert 2020) in the Gulf and Atlantic coastal plains of the U.S.A. However, there is a caveat to these findings in South America. ...
Aplodinotus grunniens represents one of the most common, widespread, and unique freshwater fishes in North America. Understanding the evolutionary history of this sciaenid is challenging though as published palaeontological records are lacking. Existing literature documenting skeletal remains and otoliths is summarised herein to better understand divergence and biogeography of the extant A. grunniens and extinct Aplodinotus species. Fossil evidence indicates that in addition to A. grunniens, three putative, extinct, marine species in North America and two in South America existed. The North American fossil Aplodinotus range from Oligocene to early Miocene, while the genus extends to the middle Miocene in South America. All described extinct fossil Aplodinotus have been recovered from shallow marine sediments with the oldest from the U.S.A. Gulf Coastal Plain. All sites with extant A. grunniens are from freshwater deposits ranging from middle to late Miocene to Holocene in age which very closely approximate the modern geographic distribution and include a variety of preserved skeletal elements and otoliths. The disappearance of the fossil marine Aplodinotus in the early Miocene in the Gulf is interpreted to represent the genus’ transition to brackish and eventually freshwater habitats and development of the extant species by the late Miocene.
... In Neogene strata, it has been demonstrated that very precise paleoenvironments can often be reconstructed with the use of specific fish taxa with specific fisheries data on their range, habitat preference and distribution, life mode, abundance, and age distribution (based upon the size of the sagittae). An example of this is demonstrated in Stringer and Shannon (2019), where Micropogonias undulatus and Leiostomus aff. L. xanthurus were utilized to ascertain that the paleoenvironment of a Pliocene (Placenzian) site as shallow, soft bottom estuarine creeks and bays with a preponderance of upstream oligohaline creeks (salinity of 0.5e5.0 ...
The Upper Cretaceous teleost assemblage represented by otoliths from the Severn Formation (Maastrichtian) of Maryland (USA) is identified, and evaluated in the context of Upper Cretaceous otolith assemblages from the USA. Otoliths were analyzed from five localities and the species diversity (richness and evenness) was assessed for all sites combined and individual. Examination of 2,296 otoliths resulted in 32 taxa identified to at least the genus level. This represents one of the most diversified otolith assemblages known for the Cretaceous. The Severn Formation has a unique occurrence of Siluriformes (54.10% of total) and Beryciformes (25.95%), and possible factors for this preponderance are investigated. The Severn Formation also produced a small number of otoliths of the Gadiformes, which represents the earliest in the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Percentage similarity measurements calculated for each of the sites varied from 65.68% to 4.30%. The variance of the similarity values are believed to be related to changes in the shallow marine environment including estuaries, deltas, freshwater input, and nutrient shifts. The beryciforms are thought to have been highly adapted to specialized environments, much like the perciforms of the Cenozoic, and the variances at different sites (from no specimens to 31.28%) may have been related to localized changes in the paleoenvironment. The percentage of beryciforms and siluriforms was also examined at eight other localities in the USA and pointed to an inverse relationship in their abundance. The Severn Formation otolith assemblage is a member of the Appalachian Community bioprovince. One new taxon is described as a putative polymixiiform: Severnichthys bourdoni n. gen., n. sp.
The oldest-reported otoliths in North America are Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) in age. However, an otolith assemblage from the Pawpaw Formation, northeastern Texas, USA, extends otolith occurrence to the Early Cretaceous (late Albian). The 729 otoliths from the Pawpaw Formation represent 10 taxa with 8 identified to species level including 2 new genera and 7 new species: Genartina princeps sp. nov., Elopothrissus pawpawensis sp. nov., Argentina? texana sp. nov., Ichthyotringa? cuneata sp. nov., Paraulopus wichitae sp. nov., Texoma cyclogaster gen. et sp. nov., Allocyclostoma alienus gen. et sp. nov. The diversity of the Pawpaw Formation assemblage is characterized by fairly low richness (10 species) and low evenness with Genartina princeps accounting for approximately 67% of the total specimens. The Pawpaw Formation otoliths are dominated by the “Genartina Group” (unknown taxonomic affinity), Albuliformes, and Aulopiformes. Although rare, two monospecific fossil otolith-based genera are postulated to be related to the Polymixiiformes, which moves the most recent common ancestor back approximately 8 Ma. Teleost evolution from an otolith perspective appears to confirm the rapid increase in diversity known in the late Albian and Cenomanian, which is postulated to be instrumental in crown teleost evolution. Comparison of the Pawpaw Formation otoliths with Albian skeletal remains is hindered with only one Albian fish known with in situ otoliths. Thus, otoliths are largely unknown from many of the large and extinct Albian teleostean groups known from skeletons. Selachian remains (8 taxa) were also obtained from the Pawpaw Formation and provided supplementary information regarding the paleoecology and paleogeography.
Bulk sampling and extensive, systematic surface collecting of the Coon Creek Member of the Ripley Formation (early Maastrichtian) at the Blue Springs locality and primarily bulk sampling of the Owl Creek Formation (late Maastrichtian) at the Owl Creek type locality, both in northeast Mississippi, USA, have produced the largest and most highly diversified actinopterygian otolith (ear stone) assemblage described from the Mesozoic of North America. The 3,802 otoliths represent 30 taxa of bony fishes representing at least 22 families. In addition, there were two different morphological types of lapilli, which were not identifiable to species level. The large number of otolith specimens as well as the preservation contributed to the recognition of 4 new genera and 13 new species. The otoliths supplied information regarding the presence of bony fishes not available solely on the basis of osteological remains, and the Late Cretaceous bony fish assemblage at the sites would be underestimated and misinterpreted without an examination of the otoliths. The otoliths also contributed evidence on the evolutionary development of teleosts in North America, especially the diversity of the beryciforms in the Late Cretaceous, and provided indications of the paleoecology during the Maastrichtian. The Ripley Formation (Coon Creek Member) otolith assemblage, which accounted for 3,718 of the specimens, is compared to other Cretaceous otolith assemblages in North America that meet certain criteria (employed bulk-sampling techniques, had well-preserved specimens, and possessed a substantial number of specimens and taxa for analysis). These sites were in Alabama, Maryland, Mississippi (two localities), New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas. Systematic surface collecting at the Blue Springs locality proved to be very beneficial in supplying otoliths specimens from maturer fishes. Many of the surface-collected oto-liths represent older adult fishes that assist with the identification of several forms with greater specificity.
Fish otoliths (n = 866) from the Tar Heel Formation (Campanian) in North Carolina are the first Cretaceous ear stones to be described from the state and only the fourth study of Atlantic Coastal Plain Cretaceous otoliths. The 28 taxa (13 families) represent
megalopids (tarpons), albulids and pterothrissids (bonefishes), congrids (conger
eels), ariids (sea catfishes), gonostomatids (bristlemouths), aulopids (flagfins), polymixiids (beardfishes), trachichthyids (roughies), berycids (alfonsinos), pempherids (sweepers), and percoids. Otoliths reveal greater fish diversity than skeletal material alone, and indicate a shallow marine shelf, tropical/subtropical or warm temperate conditions, normal marine salinity, and muddy/sandy bottoms. Percentage similarity measurements between the Tar Heel Formation localities and the stratigraphically equivalent Woodbury Formation in New Jersey reflect the effects of paleogeography and paleoecology.
A matched pair of otoliths (right and left saccular otoliths) and associated skeletal remains (n = 107) of Apogon townsendi (belted cardinalfish) were obtained in unconsolidated sediment from inside the valves of an articulated scallop Carolinapecten eboreus. The scallop specimen was collected in Hendry County, Florida, from the lower Pleistocene Caloosahatchee Formation, approximately 1.7 to 2.1 Ma. The recovery of this vertebrate material is highly significant because no skeletal remains of bony fish with in situ or associated otoliths are known from the Gulf or Atlantic coasts of the United States. Furthermore, the specimen represents the first fossil record of the family Apogonidae and the genus Apogon from Florida and the first report of the species Apogon townsendi in the fossil record. The length of the fossil Apogon townsendi was determined to be 4.7 cm based on the linear relationship between fish length and otolith length and utilizing modern specimens of the species for comparison and analysis. The length of the fossil Apogon townsendi indicated that it was an adult fish upon death (> 2.1 cm). Although several taphonomic scenarios are considered, including commensalism, it is believed that the apogonid died in close proximity to the empty scallop shell, which was followed by fairly rapid washing in of sediment with the fish into the valves of the scallop (i.e., sediment trapping). This determination is based on several factors including the biology, distribution, and behavior of extant Apogon townsendi. The presence and preservation of the two matched saccular otoliths and the large number of associated, fragile skeletal remains in the scallop shell suggest that the apogonid was not ingested and excreted by a piscivorous predator.
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Fishes of the World, Fifth Edition is the only modern, phylogenetically based classification of the world’s fishes. The updated text offers new phylogenetic diagrams that clarify the relationships among fish groups, as well as cutting-edge global knowledge that brings this classic reference up to date. With this resource, you can classify orders, families, and genera of fishes, understand the connections among fish groups, organize fishes in their evolutionary context, and imagine new areas of research. To further assist your work, this text provides representative drawings, many of them new, for most families of fishes, allowing you to make visual connections to the information as you read. It also contains many references to the classical as well as the most up-to-date literature on fish relationships, based on both morphology and molecular biology.
The study of fishes is one that certainly requires dedication—and access to reliable, accurate information. With more than 30,000 known species of sharks, rays, and bony fishes, both lobe-finned and ray-finned, you will need to master your area of study with the assistance of the best reference materials available. This text will help you bring your knowledge of fishes to the next level.
- Explore the anatomical characteristics, distribution, common and scientific names, and phylogenetic relationships of fishes
- Access biological and anatomical information on more than 515 families of living fishes
- Better appreciate the complexities and controversies behind the modern view of fish relationships
- Refer to an extensive bibliography, which points you in the direction of additional, valuable, and up-to-date information, much of it published within the last few years.
711 pages, Index, Bibliography
We describe 54 fragmentary specimens from the Pliocene of North Carolina that represent isolated dactyli of mantis shrimps. These specimens are preserved uncompressed within three dimensions in calcium phosphate. The dactyli have an estimated maximum length of 15 millimeters and bear six spines. The specimens appear to be hollow and preserve fine details, especially a narrow crest on the dorsal side of the spines, a functional blade edge that has not been previously found on any fossil stomatopod. The specimens are provisionally attributed to the species Squilla empusa, found nowadays along the entire East coast of the United States of America. Fossil occurrences are known from the Pleistocene of Maryland and from the late Pleistocene or early Holocene of Connecticut. Though isolated dactyli are less informative on the taxonomic level, they can be important on the paleo-ecological level, positively demonstrating the presence of ambush predators in an investigated paleo-community. Given the scarce stomatopod fossil record and the exceptional three-dimensional preservation, the finding of these specimens, despite their fragmentary nature, is regarded as significant.
The early-middle Pleistocene teleostean fauna of the Archi section, cropping out along the Calabrian side of the Messina Straits was studied. The integrated approach, based on the palaeobathymetric method coupled with the palaeoecological approach, already used on deep circalittoral and epibathyal assemblages, was applied for the palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. The otolith benthic and benthopelagic associations, strongly bathyal in their composition, suggest a deep bathyal palaeoenvironment, 500 to 1000 m deep, which is in agreement with the invertebrate benthic faunas. Compositional, structural, and taxonomical features of the teleostean assemblages indicate clearly Atlantic or more generally oceanic affinities. The Archi teleostean fauna indicates a palaeoceanographic pattern with deep-water and near-bottom temperature lower than 8-10°C, quite different from the Recent Mediterranean.
The Piacenzian site of Vale de Freixo, about 120 km north of Lisbon, provided otoliths belonging to 28 teleost taxa. Twenty of those could be identified at species level. The association reflects a very near shore fauna that lived in somewhat warmer waters than those floading the present day Portuguese coast at the latitude of Vale de Freixo. The association is characterised by the total absence of fossil species from the Mediterranean Pliocene, by the presence of two exclusively Atlantic fossil species, by the presence of 12 Recent species (= 60% of the taxa identified at species level) that are unknown from the Mediterranean Pliocene, and by the high percentage (90 % of the taxa identified at species level) of Recent species. This fauna shows typical Atlantic affinities, is devoided of any paleomediterrancan component, and seems to be more closely related to the Recent fauna than does the fauna of the Mediterranean Zanclian.
The family-group names of animals (superfamily, family, subfamily, supertribe, tribe and subtribe) are regulated by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Family names are particularly important because they are among the most widely used of all technical animal names. Apart from using the correct family-group name according to the Code, it is also important to use one unique universal name (with a fixed spelling) to avoid confusion. We have compiled a list of family-group names for Recent fishes, applied the rules of the Code and, if possible, tried to conserve the names in prevailing recent practice. We list all of the family-group names found to date for Recent fishes (N=2625), together with their author(s) and year of publication. This list can be used in assigning the correct family-group name to a genus or a group of genera. With this publication we contribute to the usage of correct, universal family-group names in the classification of, and for communication about, Recent fishes.
The International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) has a long tradition of producing international charts that communicate higher-order divisions of geological time and actual knowledge on the absolute numerical ages of their boundaries. The primary objective of ICS is to define precisely a global standard set of timecorrelative units (Systems, Series, and Stages) for stratigraphic successions worldwide. These units are, in turn, the basis for the Periods, Epochs and Ages of the Geological Time Scale. Setting an international global standard is fundamental for expressing geological knowledge. It is also of considerable pragmatic importance as it provides the framework through which regional-scale higher-resolution divisions can be linked, equated and collated. This is a status update on the International Chronostratigraphic Chart and the ICS website www.stratigraphy.org.
model (r2=0.99; n=753) well. No differences in growth were found between sexes. Total annual in stantaneous mortality (Zl esti mated from maximum age and from a catch curve of Chesapeake Bay commercial catches ranged from 0.55 to 0.63. Our results do not indicate the existence of a group of larger, older Atlantic croaker in Chesapeake Bay com pared with more southern waters and suggest that the hypothesis of a basically different population dynamics pattern for this species north and south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, should be reevalu ated.
Extensive bulk sampling at seven Plio-Pleistocene sites spanning approximately 4.5 Ma to 120,000 years ago in age near Brunswick, Glynn County, Georgia, produced 1,803 teleostean otoliths. The otolith assemblage was relatively diverse with 50 taxa (representing 18 families) of Plio-Pleistocene teleosts. The otoliths represented mainly shallow-marine fishes, which were all extant except for four species. The assemblage was dominated by 16 sciaenid taxa that represented 65.8% of the total number of otoliths. The Plio-Pleistocene otoliths indicated fishes that are almost identical to the marine fishes from present-day coastal Georgia. The teleostean otoliths are considered especially important for several reasons. This study represents the first description of fish otoliths from the Plio-Pleistocene of coastal Georgia and describes the bony fishes present from approximately 4.5 Ma (Raysor Marl equivalent) to 120,000 years ago (late Pleistocene). This time interval includes the late Neogene climatic changes as well as the glacial-interglacial climatic cycles in North America. Also, the preservation of aragonitic otoliths is rare in coastal Georgia given the very high water table and the intense and rapid weathering. Furthermore, there is a paucity of Plio-Pleistocene fossils, especially bony fishes, in coastal Georgia related to various geological constraints such as highly erosive transgressive sequences. The Plio-Pleistocene otolith assemblage from coastal Georgia contains 13 families representing 28 taxa not recognized by skeletal fossils in Georgia. Although the Ariidae and Sciaenidae were previously recognized based on skeletal fossil material in Georgia, there are 14 newly reported taxa based on otoliths in these families (1 and 13 respectively) including Protosciaena kirbyorum n. sp., the first fossil species of this genus in the U.S. Otolith data also verified fishes previously indicated by skeletal remains and provided greater specificity in several cases.
A comprehensive revision of the cusk-eel genus Lepophidium, encompassing all 23 known species, is presented in a single work for the first time. A summary discussion of the status of Lepophidium and its position in the Lepophidiini is presented. Systematic accounts for each species of Lepophidium detail meristic, mensural, and pigment pattern variability, including features of the skeletal and internal anatomy. Eight species are described as new: Lepophidium collettei n. sp., Lepophidium zophochir n. sp., Lepophidium entomelan n. sp., Lepophidium cultratum n. sp., Lepophidium crossotum n. sp., Lepophidium wileyi n. sp., Lepophidium robustum n. sp., and Lepophidium gilmorei n. sp. Two subspecies are elevated to full species. Individual species distribution maps based on 1,012 collections of Lepophidium examined by the authors are presented. A dichotomous key to the 23 species of Lepophidium is provided. Study material, examined over the course of six decades by the senior author, is archived in various natural history museums detailed herein.
Pliocene fossiliferous exposures at the Lee Creek Mine, Yorktown Formation, deposits yielded 8808 teleost otoliths. These represented at least 45 taxa distributed among 17 teleostean families including the following numbers of species by genus: Agonidae? (1), Ammodytidae (1), Bothidae (2, possibly 3), Branchiostegidae (1), Congridae (5), Cynoglossidae (1), Gadidae (5), Merlucciidae (3), Myctophidae (1), Ophidiidae (7), Pleuronectidae (1), Pomadasyidae (1), Pterothrissidae (1), Sciaenidae (7), Serranidae (4), Triglidae (2, possibly 3), Uranoscopidae (2). Generic names were assigned to 27 kinds of otoliths: Ammodytes, Anisotremus, Astroscopus, Brotula, Centropristis, Ceratoscopelus, Citharichthys, Cynoscion, Diplectrum, Equetus , Gadus, Kathetostoma, Leiostomus, Lepophidium, Lopholatilus, Melanogrammus, Merlangiogadus, Merluccius, Microgadus , Micropogonias, Ophidion, Pogonias, Prionotus , Pterothrissus, Sciaenops , Symphurus, Urophycis . Twenty-two of these represent the first North American Pliocene record for the genus ( Anisotremus , Astroscopus, Brotula, Centropristis, Cynoscion, Diplectrum, Equetus, Gadus, Kathetostoma, Leiostomus, Lepophidium, Lopholatilus, Melanogrammus, Merlangiogadus, Microgadus, Micropogonias, Ophidion, Pogonias, Prionotus, Pterothrissus, Symphurus, Urophycis ). Of these, six represent the initial fossil record anywhere ( Astroscopus, Diplectrum, Equetus, Kathetostoma, Leiostomus, Lopholatilus ). Lopholatilus represents the first fossil record for the family Branchiostegidae. Otoliths from at least two kinds of fish are from extinct genera ( Merlangiogadus and sciaenid species A), and those of the 13 unnamed taxa may represent extinct species. Individuals of all of the listed taxa routinely inhabit waters shallower than 200 meters, except Ceratoscopelus and Merluccius albidus . Based upon the three most abundant kinds of fish otoliths ( Lepophidium, Merluccius , and sciaenid species A), comprising 88 percent of the recovered otoliths, it is suggested that the Lee Creek Mine fauna may have been deposited in depths of 60 to 100 meters.
French zoologist and naturalist Georges Cuvier (1769–1832), one of the most eminent scientific figures of the early nineteenth century, is best known for laying the foundations of comparative anatomy and palaeontology. He spent his lifetime studying the anatomy of animals, and broke new ground by comparing living and fossil specimens - many he uncovered himself. However, Cuvier always opposed evolutionary theories and was during his day the foremost proponent of catastrophism, a doctrine contending that geological changes were caused by sudden cataclysms. He received universal acclaim when he published his monumental Le règne animal, which made significant advances over the Linnaean taxonomic system of classification and arranged animals into four large groups. The sixteen-volume English translation and expansion, The Animal Kingdom (1827–35), is also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection. First published in 1817, Volume 2 of the original version covers reptiles and fish.
French zoologist and naturalist Georges Cuvier (1769–1832), one of the most eminent scientific figures of the early nineteenth century, is best known for laying the foundations of comparative anatomy and palaeontology. He spent his lifetime studying the anatomy of animals, and broke new ground by comparing living and fossil specimens - many he uncovered himself. However, Cuvier always opposed evolutionary theories and was during his day the foremost proponent of catastrophism, a doctrine contending that geological changes were caused by sudden cataclysms. He received universal acclaim when he published his monumental Le règne animal, which made significant advances over the Linnaean taxonomic system of classification and arranged animals into four large groups. The sixteen-volume English translation and expansion, The Animal Kingdom (1827–35), is also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection. First published in 1817, Volume 1 of the original version covers mammals and birds.
Offshore winter-spawned fishes dominate the nekton of south-eastern United States estuaries. Their juveniles reside for several months in shallow, soft bottom estuarine creeks and bays called primary nursery areas. Despite similarity in many nursery characteristics, there is, between and within species, variability in the occupation of these habitats. Whether all occupied habitats are equally valuable to individuals of the same species or whether most recruiting juveniles end up in the best habitats is not known. If nursery quality varies, then factors controlling variation in pre-settlement fish distribution are important to year-class success. If nursery areas have similar values, interannual variation in distribution across nursery creeks should have less effect on population sizes or production. I used early nursery period age-specific growth and mortality rates of spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) and Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) - two dominant estuarine fishes - to assess relative habitat quality across a wide variety of nursery conditions, assuming that fish growth and mortality rates were direct reflections of overall physical and biological conditions in the nurseries. I tested the hypothesis that habitat quality varies for these fishes by comparing growth and mortality rates and distribution patterns across a wide range of typical nursery habitats at extreme ends of two systems. Juvenile spot and Atlantic croaker were collected from 10 creeks in the Cape Fear River estuary and from 18 creeks in the Pamlico Sound system, North Carolina, during the 1987 recruitment season (mid-March-mid-June). Sampled creeks were similar in size, depth, and substrates but varied in salinities, tidal regimes, and distances from inlets. Spot was widely distributed among all the estuarine creeks, but was least abundant in the creeks in middle reaches of both systems. Atlantic croaker occurred in the greatest abundance in oligohaline creeks of both systems. Instantaneous growth rates derived from daily otolith ages were generally similar for all creeks and for both species, except that spot exhibited a short-term growth depression in the upriver Pamlico system creeks - perhaps the result of the long migration distance of this species to this area. Spot and Atlantic croaker from upriver oligohaline creeks exhibited lower mortality rates than fish from downstream polyhaline creeks. These results indicated that even though growth was similar at the ends of the estuaries, the upstream habitats provided conditions that may optimize fitness through improved survival.
Fossil teleostean otoliths from the Mississippi River mudlumps are described for the first time. Analysis of the 446 otoliths obtained from the Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene sediment of a Mississippi River mudlump in the South Pass area of Louisiana revealed the presence of a varied teleostean fauna. The otoliths represent at least 25 families and 40 species of marine fishes. Bregmaceros, a small, cod-like fish that is common on the middle shelf of the present Gulf of Mexico, comprised 42 percent of the total number of otoliths recovered. The otoliths represented teleosts that are presently found in marine waters less than 200 meters in depth. Comparison of the otoliths to modern analogues indicated a depositional environment of middle to outer shelf with temperate to tropical conditions.
Atlantic croakers Micropogonias undulatus collected during 1979–1981 in North Carolina were aged (N = 2,369) with scales and length frequencies. Eight age-classes were observed, but fish more than 3–4 years old were uncommon. Mean observed total lengths (TL) for ages 1–7 were 192, 271, 320, 371, 430, 473, and 514 mm, respectively. The largest Atlantic croaker aged was 521 mm TL (age 7). Sizes-at-age from scale data agreed well with length frequencies. Scales may be used to age Atlantic croaker up to age 5, but beyond this, annual marks are difficult to validate, Growth was rapid until age 1. The von Bertalanffy growth coefficient (K = 0.20) indicated that maximum size was attained slowly. The total annual mortality rate calculated from a catch curve of age-1–5 fish in a long-haul seine fishery was 73%. The relationship between weight (W, g) and total length (mm) was W = 3.21 × 10(TL); N = 1,947. Two groups of Atlantic croaker may overlap in North Carolina; the group that occurs mainly offshore and north of Cape Lookout exhibits greater size-at-age and greater longevity than the more southerly, inshore group.
The study of approximately twenty three thousand otoliths from Plio-Pleistocene sites in the harbour region of Antwerp, as well as a critical revision of already published material allowed us to identify a teleostean fauna with fourty seven species (including two subspecies and seven species in open nomenclature). Two of these, Ophidion springeri and Uranoscopus septentrionalis are new to science. The fauna is typical for coastal waters slightly warmer than those of the actual North Sea and caracterized by the predominance of Gadidae. Biostratigraphically this fauna is well individualized with respect to preceeding ones (only seven species in common with the Miocene fauna) and those following twenty-three species in common with the extant fauna). The following biostratigraphical subdivision has been recognized in the Upper Miocene and the Plio-Pleistocene of the Antwerp region: (1) an association with «genus? Macrouridarum labiatus, Trisopterus sculptus, Gadiculus benedeni and Trisopterus luscus spectabilis, in the Sands of Deurne (Upper Miocene); (2) an association with Gadiculus benedeni and Merlangius pseudaeglephinus, in the Formation of Kattendijk (Pliocene); (3) an association with Gadiculus verticalis and Merlangius pseudaeglefinus in the Formation of Lillo (Plio-Pleistocene); (4) an association with Gadus morhua and Merlangius pseudaeglefinus in the so called «Icenian deposits not present in Belgium but found in the Netherlands.
Species profiles are literature summaries of the life history, distribution, and environmental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates. Profiles are prepared to assist with environmental impact assessment. The spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) is an abundant fish in coastal waters of the South Atlantic Region. It is important to commercial and recreational fisheries. In the South Atlantic Region, spot spawn offshore from October to March. The larvae are transported from the offshore spawning grounds to estuarine nursery areas. Juvenile spot initially congregate in shallow tidal creeks, but then disperse into deeper water as they get larger. Spot mature at 2-3 years of age. As larvae, spot feed on plankton, but switch to benthic invertebrates as juveniles and adults. Juvenile and adult spot are eaten by many other fishes. Tolerance to thermal shock and other environmental extremes varies with developmental stage. Alterations of the salinity or temperature regimes of an estuary may affect populations of spot; disturbances that affect the benthic community upon which spot feed may also affect spot abundance. Spot are not strong swimmers and may. therefore, suffer significant mortality due to intake structures at industrial or power generation plants. Keywords: Estuaries, Fishes, Growth, Feeding habits, Habitat, Salinity requirements, Temperature requirements, Spawning, Fisheries.
Archaeological excavations near St Augustine, Florida, U.S.A. recovered 415 otoliths from Atlantic croaker, Micropogonias undulatus (Perciformes: Sciaenidae), which were caught by Native American and Hispanic peoples living in the area. Age determination using growth increments of otoliths and correlated size information were used to construct size distributions, age distributions, growth rates and season of capture. During a 3000 year time span, coastal Indians captured Atlantic croaker 1–10 years old ranging from about 13–39 cm total length. Marginal increments of otoliths revealed that most fish were caught from January to May, during or shortly after the period of annulus formation. Numbers and size ranges of otoliths in each archaeological sample were quite small, suggesting that Indian fishing was probably done by individuals or small groups. Gears and methods used by Indians were selective for small, young croaker or were inefficient in areas where large fish occurred. The absence of large, old croaker and nearshore coastal species in Prehispanic collections suggest that Indians fished predominantly in the estuary. Spanish interaction with coastal Indian tribes resulted in changes in the size and age composition of the Atlantic croaker catch. Post-contact, older (up to 15 years) and larger (up to 46 cm, tip of the jaw to the end of the caudal fin—TL) croaker formed a large portion (> 30%) of the catch, suggesting that fishing effort was more extensive throughout estuaries and nearshore coastal waters and may have employed other gears and methods. Marginal increments of otoliths suggest that fishing occurred primarily in winter and spring but may have extended year-round.