Anatomy, relationships and palaeobiogeographic implications of the first Neogene holomorphic stingray (Myliobatiformes: Dasyatidae) from the early Miocene of Sulawesi, Indonesia, SE Asia

Autor(en)
Giuseppe Marrama, Stefanie Klug, John de Vos, Jürgen Kriwet
Abstrakt

The early Miocene stingray †Trygon vorstmani represented by a single specimen collected from the fish-bearing limestones of the Tonasa Formation of SW Sulawesi, Indonesia, is redescribed here in detail. This taxon exhibits a unique combination of features that clearly support the presence of a new genus, †Protohimantura gen. nov. and its assignment to the whiptail stingrays (Dasyatidae) of the subfamily Urogymninae. The morphological and phylogenetic affinities of †Protohimantura gen. nov. with the living whiprays suggest a close association of this taxon with tropical shallow-water habitats hypothesized for the SW Sulawesi palaeoenvironment during early Miocene. Moreover, this occurrence, which also represents the first holomorphic stingray specimen from the Neogene, provides new insights into the role of the Indo-Australian Archipelago for the evolutionary history of fishes associated with reefs in the context of the shift of the marine biodiversity hotspot across the globe during the last 50 million years.

Organisation(en)
Institut für Paläontologie
Externe Organisation(en)
University of Manchester, Naturalis Biodiversity Center
Journal
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
Band
184
Seiten
1142-1168
Anzahl der Seiten
27
ISSN
0024-4082
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zly020
Publikationsdatum
2018
Peer-reviewed
Ja
ÖFOS 2012
105118 Paläontologie
Schlagwörter
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Animal Science and Zoology
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 14 – Leben unter Wasser
Link zum Portal
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/6f50134f-92da-4844-afbb-7f213b706b1d