Nerophis zapfei

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nerophis zapfei
Nerophis zapfei

Nerophis zapfei

Temporal occurrence
Middle Miocene (Upper Badenian to Lower Sarmatian )
~ 14 to ~ 12 million years
Locations
Systematics
Spinefish (Acanthopterygii)
Perch relatives (Percomorphaceae)
Pipefish (Syngnathiformes)
Pipefish (Syngnathidae)
Nerophis
Nerophis zapfei
Scientific name
Nerophis zapfei
Bachmayer , 1980

Nerophis zapfei is an extinct species of well rezent surviving genus Nerophis within the family of pipefish (Syngnathidae). Fossil finds are from the Miocene Leithakalken of St. Margarethen in Burgenland ( Austria ) and from the Kuzhora layers of the Republic of Moldova .

Research history and etymology

The first description of the pipefish species Nerophis zapfei was made in 1980 by Friedrich Bachmayer on the basis of an almost complete specimen from the Leithakalken of Sankt Margarethen in Burgenland. The holotype is available as a plate and counter plate and is kept at the Natural History Museum Vienna under the inventory number NHMW 1978 / 2118a + b . Further specimens from the same site followed, the Locus typicus initially remained the only site of the species.

It was not until 2017 that the species was also described from the Kuzhora strata near Naslavcea in the north of the Republic of Moldova. The relatively well-preserved new find not only expanded knowledge of the spatial and temporal distribution of Nerophis zapfei , but also enabled a diagnostic reassessment of the species.

The additional species “ zapfei ” honors the Austrian palaeontologist Helmuth Zapfe .

Age assignment of the finds

The Austrian finds of Nerophis zapfei come from the banked facies (laminated marl facies ) of the Leithakalke. These deposits can be assigned to the regional Bulimina-Bolivina zone on the basis of the foraminifera fauna and to the NN5b zone on the basis of nannoplankton . Both findings correspond to the Upper Badenium of the regional structure of the central Paratethys and can be equated with the transition from Langhium to Serravallium of the international chronostratigraphic structure, which corresponds to an absolute age of about 14.0-13.5  Ma .

The fossil record from the Republic of Moldova comes from slightly more recent deposits. The sediments of the Kuzhora layers can be the Lower Sarmatian ( Volhynium the regional breakdown of the Eastern Paratethys) assign. The beginning of the Sarmatium in the central Paratethys ("Sarmatium sensu stricto ") can be correlated relatively well with the beginning of the Sarmatium in the eastern Paratethys ("Sarmatium sensu lato "). In both cases, an absolute age of 12.65 Ma is given. The temporal end of the Lower Sarmatium / Volhynium can only be roughly estimated so far, but is before the end of the “Sarmatium sensu stricto” of the central Paratethys (11.6 Ma).

features

The largest known specimen of Nerophis zapfei reached a length of just under 12 cm. The body is elongated and narrow and, like all pipefish, was protected by an armor made of ring-shaped bone plates. The maximum body height is only about 2.5% of the body length. The head is relatively short with a length of around 6% of the total length. Bachmayer describes the body proportions of Nerophis zapfei as comparable to those of the spotted snake needle ( Nerophis maculatus ). The fish show only one dorsal fin; The pectoral, anal and caudal fins are missing.

Nerophis zapfei differs from Nerophis maculatus by the short, slightly upwardly curved snout, the longer base and higher number of fin rays of the dorsal fin and the smaller number of bone rings in the body armor. The fossil species also differs from the small snake needle ( Nerophis ophidion ) by its relatively short snout and the smaller number of bone rings. The number of fin rays (43) corresponds roughly to that of Nerophis ophidion (32–44), but the base of the dorsal fin is shorter in Nerophis zapfei and only extends to the second bone ring of the breastplate. In the crooked- snouted snake needle ( Nerophis lumbriciformis ) only the number of bone rings in the tail area is higher than in Nerophis zapfei . The short, slightly upwardly curved snout is comparable to that of Nerophis zapfei . The number of fin rays (24–28) and the base length of the dorsal fin are less than in the fossil species.

Paleecology

Recent representatives of the genus Nerophis prefer to stay between seaweed or in seagrass meadows . They are ambulance hunters who mainly feed on small crustaceans ( copepods , woodlice , amphipods ) and smaller gastropods , such as the genus Hydrobia .

The Leithakalke, from which the Austrian finds originate, are deposits of a carbonate platform that formed during the Badenium in the west of the Central Paratethys in the area of ​​the islands and shallows of today's Leithagebirge and the Fertőrákos-Rust hill country. The laminated marl facies, an alternating layer of light yellow calcareous arenites and olive-green marls, was deposited in small, protected depressions on the edge of the carbonate platform and contains a rich fauna of fossil fish and various marine invertebrates , including complete colonies of bryozoans , sea ​​urchins , brachiopods and scallops . The discovery of skeletal remains of a loon ( Gavia schultzi ) should also be mentioned as a special feature .

The rich fish fauna with almost 50 taxa from 37 families is mainly dominated by herring species of the genus Spratelloides , lantern fish of the genus Diaphus and the scorpion fish Scorpaena prior , which together make up more than half of all individuals. With regard to the individual taxa, forms with a benthonic way of life and bottom fish of the Neritic zone dominate; next Nerophis zapfei among other things, sea bream of the genera Boop and Dentex , dragonets the genus Callionymus , the parrotfish Calotomus priesli , butterfly fish of the genus Chaetodon , the Junkerlippfisch Coris Sigismundi and with Wainwrightilabrus agassizi and Symphodus westneati two other representatives of the wrasse , groupers genus Epinephelus , the Gaidropsaride Gaidropsarus pilleri , monkfish the genus Lophius , tilefish the genus Malacanthus , the flatfish Miobothus Weissi , mullet the genus Mullus , the scorpion fish Scorpaena prior , the cod Palimphemus anceps , Bigeyes the genus Priacanthus , lizard fish of the genus Synodus , Peter males of the genus Trachinus and the puffer fish Leithaodon sandroi .

A second group of taxa, such as herring species of the genus Spratelloides and Sardinella or garfish of the genus Belone , mackerel of the genus Scomber , jacks of the genus Trachurus and barracudas ( Sphyraena sp. ), Represent fish of the coastal epipelagic . Fish from the pelagic of the open ocean, in addition to the genus Diaphus with Unicorn cod , hake and the basking Cetorhinus parvus represented.

All in all, the paleontological and sedimentological findings speak for a deposit area in coastal depressions with water depths of around 50–60 meters with extensive sea ​​grass meadows and rocky reefs in the immediate vicinity, but also free access to the open sea. The prevailing climate can be characterized as subtropical . Hypoxic conditions often prevailed at the bottom of these basins , possibly triggered by algal blooms of Coccolithus pelagicus and other Coccolithophorida as a result of seasonal, increased nutrient input. The oxygen deficit at the bottom of the basin promoted the formation of fossils and at least partially explains the occasional mass death of schools of fish, sea urchins and other benthonic invertebrates.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d F. Bachmayer: A fossil snake needle (Syngnathidae) from the Leithakalk (Badenien) of St. Margarethen, Burgenland (Austria). In: Annalen des Naturhistorisches Museum Wien , Volume 83, 1980, pp. 29–33, ( digitized version ).
  2. ↑ a b O. Schultz: Pisces. In: Catalogus Fossilium Austriae , Volume 3, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna, 2013, ISBN 978-3-7001-7238-3 , p. 258, ( digitized version ).
  3. ↑ a b c d e YA Popov: First Record of the Pipefish Nerophis zapfei Bachmayer (Syngnathidae, Gasterosteiformes) from the Middle Miocene of Northern Moldova. In: Paleontological Journal , Volume 51, Number 5, 2017, pp. 533-541, ( digitized ).
  4. ↑ a b c HP Schmid, M. Harzhauser & A. Kroh: Hypoxic Events on a Middle Miocene Carbonate Platform of the Central Paratethys (Austria, Badenian, 14 Ma). In: Annalen des Naturhistorisches Museum Wien , Volume 102 A, 2001, pp. 1-50, ( digitized version ).
  5. ^ A b c G. Carnevale & JC Tyler: A new pufferfish (Teleostei, Tetraodontidae) from the Middle Miocene of St. Margarethen, Austria. In: Paläontologische Zeitschrift , Volume 89, 2015, pp. 435–447, ( digitized version ).
  6. ↑ B. Studencka, VA Prysyazhnyuk & SA Ljul'eva: First record of the bivalve species Parvamussium fenestratum (Forbes, 1844) from the Middle Miocene of the Paratethys. In: Geological Quarterly , Volume 56, Number 3, 2012, pp. 513-528, ( digitized version ).
  7. ↑ DV Palcu, LA Golovina, YV Vernyhorova, SV Popov & W. Krijgsman: Middle Miocene paleoenvironmental crises in Central Eurasia Caused by changes in marine gateway configuration. In: Global and Planetary Change , Volume 158, 2017, pp. 57-71, ( digitized ).
  8. ↑ S. Gurkan, TM Sever & E. Taskavak: Seasonal Food Composition and Prey-Length Relationship of Pipefish Nerophis ophidion (Linnaeus, 1758) Inhabiting the Aegean Sea. In: Acta Adriatica , Volume 52, Number 1, 2011, pp. 5-14, ( digitized version ).
  9. ^ G. Carnevale: Middle Miocene wrasses (Teleostei, Labridae) from St.Margarethen (Burgenland, Austria). In: Palaeontographica Department A , Volume 304, Delivery 1-6, 2015, pp. 124-160, ( abstract ).
  10. ^ A b G. Carnevale & M. Harzhauser: The Badenian Fish Fauna of St. Margarethen, Eistenstadt-sopron Basin, Burgenland, Central Paratethys: Stratigraphy, Paleoecology and Paleobiogeography. In: RCMNS 14th Congress - Neogene to Quaternary Geological Evolution of Mediterranean, Paratethys and Black Sea , abstract volume, 2013. p. 75, ( digitized ).