Otoliths reveal diverse fish communities in Late Oligocene estuarine to deep-water paleoenvironments in southern Zealandia

摘要

Fish otoliths are essential tools for reconstructing fossil teleost faunas. Here, we describe otoliths from estuarine to deep-water Late Oligocene localities in southern Zealandia. Thirty-one species are recognised including 14 new species and two new genera. New species are: Moringua waimumuensis n.sp., Heteroconger? mataura n.sp., Tonganago coplandi n.sp., Sardinops robinsoni n.sp., Lotella latidorsalis n.sp., Trachyrincus tewaewae n.sp., Eurypleuron debilis n.sp., Neobythites lindqvisti n.sp., Aotearichthys vestalis n.sp., Centroberyx worthyi n.sp., Krebsiella chattonensis n.sp., Lesueurina transoceana n.sp. and Micropercops pomahaka n.sp., a representative of a basal gobioid family (Odontobutidae) now restricted to fresh-and brackish waters of eastern Asia. The new otolith-based genera are: Aotearichthys n. gen. (Dinematichthyidae) and Tonganago n. gen. (Congridae). The diverse faunal association reflects the range of paleoenvironments from estuarine to deep marine allowing an unusually complete reconstruction of the fish ecosystems. We compare the fauna with the extant marine fauna of Zealandia and discuss its phylogenetic and biogeographic significance.