Coelacanths from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil. American Museum novitates ; no. 2866

Abstract

"Specimens of Mawsonia sp. (possibly representing the type species, M. gigas), plus a new genus and species of fossil coelacanth, are described from the Romualdo Member of the Santana Formation, Chapada do Araripe, Ceara (Brazil). The new form, Axelrodichthys araripensis, is distinguished from other coelacanths on the basis of its cranial anatomy. The posterior moiety of the skull roof has a median dermal element plus three paired ossifications. Heavy rugose ornament of the dermal bones, the dermosphenotic morphology, and the number of paired posterior elements in the skull roof suggest that the new coelacanth is related to Mawsonia. A phylogenetic hypothesis is offered in which Mawsonia plus the new taxon represent the sister group of Macropoma and Latimeria. The new coelacanth is represented by several complete, articulated skeletons, among the first to be discovered in South America"--P. [1].