Muraenidae, Rafinesque, 1810

Schwarzhans, Werner, Klots, Oleksandr, Kovalchuk, Oleksandr, Dubikovska, Anastasiia, Ryabokon, Tamara & Kovalenko, Volodymyr, 2024, Life on a Miocene barrier reef - fish communities and environments in the Medobory backreef, Palaeontologia Electronica (a 46) 27 (3), pp. 1-44 : 7

Muraenidae indet.

Figure 2 A-C

Material. 1 otolith, NMNHU-P PI 2595, Novyi Pliazh.

Discussion. The single small otolith of 1.5 mm in length shows the typical otolith shape with a blunt anterior tip and a somewhat tapering posterior tip and sulcus shape of muraenid otoliths. The sulcus is narrow, deep, with slightly wavy margins, anteriorly open and posteriorly terminating at considerable distance from the posterior rim of the otolith. Moray eels are typical fishes in extant reef environments, but their fossil otolith record is extremely scarce with a single unambiguous record from the Neogene of the Caribbean (Aguilera and Rodrigues de Aguilera, 2001).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Otoliths, various. A-C, Muraenidae indet., NMNHU-P PI 2595, Novyi Pliazh, anterior view (A), ventral view (C). D-G, Umbra euronota n. sp., holotype, NMNHU-P PI 2596, Novyi Pliazh, outer face (D), anterior view (F), ventral view (G). H-J, Maeotichthys wilhelmi (Djafarova, 2006), NMNHU-P PI 2599, Staryi Zavod, anterior view (H), ventral view (J). K-M, Physiculus sp., NMNHU-P PI 2600, Novyi Pliazh, dorsal view (L), anterior view (M). N-Q, Micromesistius planatus (Bassoli, 1906), NMNHU-P PI 2601, Novyi Pliazh (reversed), ventral views (O, Q). R-S, Enchelyopus sp., NMNHU-P PI 2616, Mlyntsi, ventral view (S). T-Z, Onogadus simplicissimus (Schubert, 1906), NMNHU-P PI 2612, Novyi Pliazh (T, U, Z), NMNHU-P PI 2611, Mlyntsi (V-X), NMNHU-P PI 2610, Lisohirka (Y), ventral views (U, W). AA-AB, Bellottia aff. obliqua (Weiler, 1942), NMNHU-P PI 2619, Novyi Pliazh (reversed), ventral view (AB). AC-AE, Carapus sp., NMNHU-P PI 2617, Novyi Pliazh (reversed), anterior view (AC), ventral view (AE).