A new albuliform (Teleostei: Elopomorpha) from the Lower Cretaceous Santana Formation, Araripe Basin, northeastern Brazil

A new albuliform fish Bullichthys santanensis gen. nov. sp. nov. is described from the Lower Cretaceous Santana Formation of northeastern Brazil. The specimen is identified as a new plesion of Albuliformes, on the basis of an inflated otic bulla, a well developed ectopterygoid process, and a deep subtemporal fossa. Bullichthys does not belong to the Albulidae or Pterothrissidae because it lacks the broad parasphenoid, parasphenoid and endopterygoid complex with a crushing dentition (opposed by similar dentition on the basibranchial tooth plate), an ossified interorbital septum, a caudal scute, and an occipital condyle bordered by both exoccipitals and basioccipital bones. Bullichthys santanensis gen. nov. sp. nov. differs from all other albuliforms by the presence of a hypurapophysis and a parhypurapophysis. The discovery of B. santanensis increases albuliform diversity during the Early Cretaceous at the very beginning of albuliform history. It presents a suite of both plesiomorphic and derived characters. Such a character assemblage clearly demonstrates the necessity of including stem taxa in phylogenetic analysis based on morphology to resolve the controversial relationships of these basal teleostean fishes. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.