A new Miocene skate from the Central Paratethys (Upper Austria): the first unambiguous skeletal record for the Rajiformes (Chondrichthyes: Batomorphii)

A new fossil skate, <i>Ostarriraja parva</i> gen. et sp. nov., represented by a single partial articulated skeleton collected from the early Miocene fish-bearing strata of Upper Austria, is described here in detail. This taxon exhibits a unique combination of skeletal and dental features (e.g. nasal capsules broad and oval; presence of pectoral arch; compound radial articulated with single radial segments in serial fashion; separated pelvic girdle condyles; reduced catenated calcification of radials; about 86 pectoral radials; 20–21 pelvic-fin radials; 65–70 predorsal vertebrae) that clearly support its assignment to a new genus of the order Rajiformes, and the phylogenetic analyses reveal its basal position within the group. The comparison between <i>Ostarriraja</i> and the holomorphic batoids from Late Cretaceous of Lebanon traditionally aligned with skates concurs to suggest that this Neogene occurrence represents unquestionably the first known skeletal record for the group. The morphological and phylogenetic affinities of <i>Ostarriraja</i> with the living skates suggest a close association of this taxon with the temperate-cold water environments hypothesized for the Central Paratethys during the early Miocene. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:8BB8F0F3-35C5-47FA-AE3C-2CBF445C4BCA

本文详细记述了一件采自奥地利上奥地利州早中新世含鱼地层的全新化石鳐类——小奥星鳐（*Ostarriraja parva*，新属新种），其标本为单个部分关联保存的骨骼骨架。该分类单元具有独特的骨骼与齿部特征组合：鼻囊宽大呈椭圆形；具胸弓；复合辐骨以串联方式与单个辐骨节段关节连接；腰带髁彼此分离；辐骨的链状钙化程度减弱；共约86块胸鳍辐骨、20~21块腹鳍辐骨以及65~70个背前椎。上述特征明确支持其归入鳐形目（Rajiformes）一新属，系统发育分析显示该类群在鳐形目中处于基干演化位置。将*Ostarriraja*与传统上被划归为鳐类的黎巴嫩晚白垩世完整保存的鳐形总目类群进行对比后证实，该新近纪产出的化石记录无疑是该类群目前已知的首例骨骼化石记录。*Ostarriraja*与现生鳐类的形态及系统发育亲缘关系表明，该分类单元与早中新世中副特提斯域所推断的温冷水环境存在密切关联。http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:8BB8F0F3-35C5-47FA-AE3C-2CBF445C4BCA