Osteologia e sistemática de Brannerion latum (Agassiz, 1841) (Teleostei : Albuliformes) do Aptiano-Albiano do nordeste do Brasil

Abstract

Brannerion latum (Agassiz, 1841) is a medium elopomorph fish occurring in the Santana and Codó formations, respectively from the Lower Cretaceous of the Araripe and Parnaíba basins, Northeastern Brazil. Although this species was studied a long time ago, a detailed description of its osteology was lacking. ln addition, its phylogenetic position was dubious: some authors classified the species as an Albuloidei incertae sedis; other authors, as a plesion of sedis mutabilis within the Albuliformes; and some other authors put it in the Elopidae or Albulidae families. ln the present dissertation, B. latum was described under a comparative point of view with the extant taxa Albula vulpes (Linnaeus, 1758) and Elops saurus Linnaeus, 1766, and the extinct taxon Paraelops cearensis Silva Santos, 1971. This comparison was based on the osteological similarity among those taxa previously verified. ln addition, the systematic of B. latum was reviewed and a refined cladistic analysis was accomplished. Nine terminal taxa of Albuliformes composed the ingroup: A. vulpes; Baugeichthys caeruleus Filleul, 2000; B. latum; Deltaichthys albuloides Fielitz & Bardack, 1992; Farinichthys gigas Gallo & Figueiredo, 2002; Lebonichthys gracilis (Davis, 1887); Osmeroides Jewesiensis (Mantell, 1822); P. cearensis; Phosphonatator oxyrhynchus Cavin et al., 2000; E. saurus was used for outgroup. This analysis produced three equally parsimonious trees (L = 115 steps; ci = 0.88; ri = 0. 87). The strict consensus tree found seven nodes for nine terminals (L = 115 steps; ci = 0. 88; ri = 0. 87). The topology founded (8. caeruleus + (B. latum+ (P. cearensis + (O. lewesiensis + L. gracilis P. oxyrhynchus + (D. albuloides + (A. vulpes + F. gigas)))))) suggests that B. latum is a basal taxon of a clade composed by all Albuliformes except B. Caeruleus.