A new genus and species of stem group actinopteran fish from the Lower Permian of Santa Catarina State, Brazil

Abstract

This work deals with the description of a new genus and species of fossil fish: Santosichthys mafrensis gen. et sp. nov. (Elonichthyidae: Actinopteri). The new fish is represented by a single specimen preserved in a siliceous concretion from marine shales of the Rio do Sul Formation (Lower Permian) of Santa Catarina State, Brazil. Differences between the new form and other Elonichthyidae can be accounted for by the morphology of the cranial bones such as the maxilla and dermopterotic. Besides the description, a brief discussion on the classification and interrelationship of other ‘palaeonisciformes’ is attempted. Santosichthys mafrensis seems to belong to one of the stem‐group neopterygians. Copyright © 1988, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved