New enchodontoid fish (Teleostei: Aulopiformes) from the Late Cretaceous of Lebanon

A new enchodontoid, †Spinascutichthys pankowskiae gen. et sp. nov. is described from the marine Cenomanian deposits of the En Nammoura locality, Lebanon. The enchodontoid is small, but fully ossified, and armoured with rows of scutes bearing strong spines along the back, flanks, and ventral surface of the tail. The long, slender body and elongate jaws are similar to those of dercetids, but the predorsal scutes and ventral prongs on the dentary indicate relationship with enchodontids. Although more, or better, characters are needed to resolve the phylogeny and monophyly of the †Enchodontoidei, the family †Enchodontidae is found to be monophyletic, but a monophyletic †Dercetidae is not recovered. The new taxon is resolved in a phylogenetic analysis as the sister group to †Nardorex. This small, armoured fish supports the interpretation of En Nammoura as having a shallower water environment than that represented at the two similarly aged Lebanese deposits of Hakel and Hadjula.

产自黎巴嫩恩纳穆拉（En Nammoura）产地的森诺曼（Cenomanian）阶海相沉积地层中，本文记述了一种新的箭齿鱼形类（enchodontoid）：†棘盾鱼（Spinascutichthys pankowskiae） gen. et sp. nov.。该类群体型小巧但完全骨化，背部、体侧及尾部腹面均分布有带强壮棘刺的盾板列，形成装甲结构。其躯体修长纤细、颌骨显著延长，形态特征与德塞提鱼科（dercetids）物种相似，但齿骨具腹突以及背前盾板的形态特征，则显示其与剑射鱼科（enchodontids）存在亲缘关系。尽管需要更多或更优质的形态特征来厘清箭齿鱼亚目（†Enchodontoidei）的系统发育关系与单系性，但研究结果证实剑射鱼科（†Enchodontidae）为单系群，而德塞提鱼科（†Dercetidae）并非单系群。系统发育分析显示，该新分类群与†纳尔杜雷克斯鱼（Nardorex）构成姊妹群。这种小型装甲鱼类支持了如下推断：恩纳穆拉产地的沉积环境较黎巴嫩另外两处同期产地哈克尔（Hakel）与哈朱拉（Hadjula）的水体更浅。