Sampling of about 1000 kg of sediment at the Vastan Lignite Mine provided otoliths of 20 teleost taxa of which nine could be described as new species: "genus Atherinidarum" rhomboides, "genus Atherinidarum" spinifer, "genus Percoideorum" thierrysmithi, "genus Centropomidarum" obesum, Acropoma massiva, "genus Acropomidarum" angulosum, "genus Ambassidarum" dominans, "genus Ambassidarum" celatum and "genus Menidarum" inflatum. All present-day relatives of the represented taxa occur in the marine realm. However, several of those fishes may have been able to penetrate into fresh water, e.g. the pristigasterids, atherinids, centropomids and ambassids. Primary freshwater fishes however, are lacking completely. All represented taxa are mainly confined to tropical, very shallow near shore habitats, and the association is completely devoid of oceanic fishes (mesopelagic and deep water bottom fishes). All these data suggest a protected shallow marine environment, not widely exposed to the oceanic realm, and probably with a regular influx of freshwater, maybe an estuary or a protected bay, with mangrove vegetation. It is probable that some of the represented taxa were able to intrude into fresh water. |
