New miocene otolith-based sciaenid species (Pisces, Perciformes) from Venezuela

Six new otolith-based sciaenid species, Micropogonias coatesi, Ophioscion lundbergi, Pachyurus jungi, Paralonchurus schwarzhansi, Protosciaena neritica and Sciaenops reyesi, are described from the Venezuelan Neogene sedimentary basin. These species are closely related to the living Amphi-American Micropogonias, Ophioscion and Poralonchurus species, the Western Atlantic Sciaenops, the Caribbean Protosciaena, and the Amazon-Orinoco freshwater Pachyurus respectively. Protosciaena neritica sp. nov. and the previously described species Equetus davidandrewi Nolf and Aguilera, both from the lower Miocene Castillo and Cantaure formations, represent the most abundant sciaenid otoliths from the South Caribbean Neogene deposits, and are absent from another 26 formations from this period and area.