A new ichthyodectid fish from the lower Cretaceous of Pietraroja (Southern Italy)

Recent excavations in the Plattenkalk of the Civita di Pietraroja (Lower Albian, Southern Italy) have yielded a new representative of the Ichthyodectiformes (Actinopterygii: Teleostei). Although the specimen is still under study, a preliminary report appears to be warranted. Attribution to Ichthyodectiformes is based on the following characters: pronounced mandibular prognathism, triangular supraoccipital crest, hammer-shaped anterior part of the autopalatine articulated with ethmoid and maxilla. This specimen ...