The f irst fossil record of the codlet Bregmaceros? sp. (Thompson, 1840) (Gadiformes, Bregmacerotidae) from the Firat Formation (Early Miocene-Aquitanian - Burdigalian) of Diyarbakir, Turkey

Abstract

In this paper, a fossil fish Bregmaceros? sp. (Thompson, 1840) (Gadiformes, Bregmacerotidae) is described from the Firat Formation (Early Miocene: Aquitanian - Burdigalian) of Diyarbakir, Southeast Turkey. The fossil specimen is the first record from Turkey. It is discovered in the limestone layer in Saglam village of Egil district of Diyarbakir. The specimen is found in early Miocene sediments of Anatolia and may represent B. albyi (Sauvage, 1880) or B. filamentosus (Priem, 1908) which have been reported from the Miocene sediments of the Mediterranean Sea. Due to poor preservation, it is difficult to make an identification at the species level with certainty. Bregmacerotidae consists of 14 extant and 2 extinct (B. albyi and B. filamentosus) species and has only genus Bregmaceros distributed in subtropical and tropical waters all over the world. Bregmaceros sp. is a small-sized, pelagic species within the Gadiformes Order, and its fossils are often discovered as articulated skeletons or otoliths in Eocene-Miocene-Pliocene marine sediments. The present specimen is characterized by having an elongated body, 60 mm in length (head not fully visible). The traces of anal, dorsal, and pectoral rays are moderately visible. The vertebral column includes 44 vertebrae (there may be a few more since the skull part is not visible), 35 of which are post-abdominal (caudal). Although several studies related to their geographical and chronological distributions across the world have been published and well documented, there are no studies on their existence in the Anatolia region, Diyarbakir, South-eastern Turkey.