scholarly journals A diverse Miocene fish assemblage (Chondrichthyes and Osteichthyes) from the Pécs-Danitzpuszta sand pit (Mecsek Mts, Hungary)

2021 ◽  
Vol 151 (4) ◽  
pp. 363-409
Author(s):  
Márton Szabó ◽  
László Kocsis ◽  
Mariann Bosnakoff ◽  
Krisztina Sebe

Chondrichthyans and osteichthyans are widely reported from marine sediments of the Central Paratethys, not only by sporadic occurrences, but also by complex, diverse fish assemblages. Here we present a rich fish fauna from the upper Miocene (Pannonian, Tortonian) lacustrine sediments exposed in the Pécs-Danitzpuszta sand pit, in the SW Pannonian Basin. Altogether 22 227 specimens were investigated, and they could be classified into 17 chondrichthyan and 16 osteichthyan taxa. Among the chondrichthyans Odontaspididae (55.51%) and Myliobatidae (14.4%) are the most abundant, while the bony fishes are dominated by the Sparidae (77.07%). The limonitic, yellow, coarse-grained, gravelly sands yielded an extremely large amount of isolated fish fossils. A considerable part of the vertebrate material of the sands is likely reworked from older, middle Miocene (Badenian and Sarmatian, i.e. Langhian and Serravallian) sediments. The late Miocene calcareous marls underlying the sands also yielded a variety of fish remains. From these remains, associated and articulated latid bones are coeval with the sediment and suggest freshwater and brackish conditions in the area, in accord with other biotic data. Other, isolated fossils, namely teeth, otoliths, cycloid scales and jaw elements of Gadidae, Gobiidae, Sparidae and Latidae could be reworked and thus have a very limited paleoecological significance. Based on habitat preferences of extant relatives, all chondrichthyans and most osteichthyan taxa found in the sands must be of Badenian origin. The abundant remains allow for some conclusions on the environmental conditions during the Badenian. They refer to a shallow, coastal environment with tropical-subtropical climate with connection to more open water habitats. Remains of some osteichthyan taxa were found in coprolites, showing that these taxa were part of the food chain as prey items. Sirenian ribs and odontocete limb bones bearing tooth marks refer to trophic relations between marine mammals and large sized macropredatory sharks. The Pécs-Danitzpuszta record of shark-attributed bite marks on bones of marine mammals is the second of the Badenian of the Central Paratethys. Acipenserids and latids of the sands, linked to brackish and/or freshwater environments, could originate from any Miocene stratigraphic units.

Author(s):  
Victor E. Gomelyuk

The baited remote underwater video technique (BRUVS) was used to compare fish assemblages at three sites with different habitat characteristics: sandy bank (SB), rock reef (RR) and degraded coral reef (DCR) in Port Essington, Garig Gunak Barlu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia. The Carangidae family dominated, representing 35% of all recorded fish. The highest species number was recorded at RR followed by DCR and SB. The highest total fish number was recorded at DCR followed by SB and RR. Fish assemblages from all three sites are clearly different at high confidence level, but still overlapping and higher overlapping was found between SB and RR. Fish assemblages at all three studied sites contained some coral-associated species, fish fauna was less rich compared to coral reefs in the mouth of the bay and fish assemblages were noticeably different from typical coral fish communities. None of the fish assemblages at studied sites were presented by the ‘pure’, single habitat-associated association of species—at all three sites fish communities were a mixture of fish with various habitat preferences. Reef-associated species have a larger proportion at DCR and at RR their habitat complexity was higher; still soft-bottom habitat fish make substantial fractions in fish assemblages at both DCR and RR. Similarly, fish usually identified as ‘reef associated’ were found in notable proportions on SB. Fish with wide distribution and low selectivity in habitat preferences comprised a significant part in fish assemblages at all studied sites. In this study the BRUVS technique worked well in the area where diving visual surveys were impossible to implement because of high water turbidity. Another advantage of this method is the non-impact nature of visual survey; they can be used in long-term monitoring of fish assemblages at reference sites.


2016 ◽  
Vol 67 (6) ◽  
pp. 573-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Márton Szabó ◽  
László Kocsis

AbstractA new Middle Miocene (Langhian - early Serravallian) assemblage with shark and ray teeth from Nyirád (Hungary, Transdanubia, Veszprém County) consists of nine families, with 15 different species. The assemblage shares many common genera with other Middle Miocene assemblages in the Paratethys (Notorynchus, Carcharias, Otodus, Cosmopolitodus, Hemipristis, Galeocerdo, Carcharhinus, and Aetobatus), and reflects a subtropical climate and a close connection with the Mediterranean Sea. However, a detailed faunal compilation of Miocene selachians reveals that several taxa that were still present in the Mediterranean or lived in the Paratethys during the Lower Miocene disappeared or became very rare by the Middle Miocene in the Central Paratethys (e.g., Isistius, Centrophorus, Mitsukurina, Carcharoides, Parotodus, Alopias). The taxa that went locally extinct in the Paratethys are mainly represented by deep-water or pelagic forms. Their disappearance is most probably related to the gradual separation of the Paratethys from the Mediterranean. The common presence of some large, rather pelagic sharks (e.g., Otodus, Cosmopolitodus) in the Central Paratethys during the Middle Miocene is explained here by the widespread occurrence of their potential prey represented by marine mammals (e.g., whales and dolphins).


2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (1-1) ◽  
pp. 132
Author(s):  
Jorge Picado Barboza ◽  
Gerardo Umaña Villalobos

Between May 2004 and May 2005, we sampled fish in 19 sites, grouped in four elevations, ranging from the river mouth to 650 m.a.s.l. in the Río Pacuare, Caribbean versant of Costa Rica. Changes in the distribution and composition of the fish fauna, as well as patterns of alpha and beta diversity along an elevational gradient were assessed. Additional analyses of habitat preferences, trophic guilds, functional groups and general ecology for the most abundant species are included. All fish captured were classified into 22 families, 43 genera and 53 species. The most abundant family was Characidae, followed by Gobiidae, Mugilidae, Poeciliidae and Heptateridae, which together comprise 87.9 % of all sampled individuals. Elevation shows an inverse effect on species diversity, we observed a monotonic decrease in species richness with increasing elevation (p < 0.05), as reported in other tropical rivers. According to our results, in the Río Pacuare the total fish fauna diversity is found within the first 500 m.a.s.l. Species turnover increases with elevation, while nestedness decreases. Turnover was dominated by the loss of species rather than gain; the higher species loss was registered between the river mouth and the lower river reach (< 100 m.a.s.l.). Seven species can be classified as typical or core species (Astyanax aeneus, Sicydium altum, Agonostomus monticola, Poecilia gillii, Brycon costaricensis, Rhamdia laticauda and Joturus pichardi) along the elevation gradient. The habitat availability and the integration of ecomorphological, feeding and reproductive traits help to explain better the elevation distribution of the complete set of species observed. Although it is possible to identify groups of species characteristic of each reach of river, this does not mean that they are isolated from each other. Natural drift and movement along the river of some species during their life cycle, especially S. altum, A. monticola and J. pichardi, are key processes linking the whole watershed. The present study constitutes a first step in documenting and understanding the distribution and composition of fish assemblages in a watershed that is relatively intact and well-conserved in the Caribbean versant of Costa Rica.


2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 386-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Rybár ◽  
Katarína Šarinová ◽  
Karin Sant ◽  
Klaudia F. Kuiper ◽  
Marianna Kováčová ◽  
...  

Abstract The Kuchyňa tuff is found on the Eastern margin of the Vienna Basin and was formed by felsic volcanism. The Ar/Ar single grain sanidine method was applied and resulted in an age of 15.23±0.04 Ma, which can be interpreted as the age of the eruption. The obtained numerical age is in accordance with the subtropical climate inferred by the presence of fossil leaves that originated in an evergreen broadleaved forest. Furthermore, the described volcanism was connected with the syn-rift stage of the back-arc Pannonian Basin system. The sedimentological data from the underlying sandy mudstones indicate alluvial environment what confirms terrestrial conditions during deposition. Moreover, the tuff deposition probably occurred shortly before the Badenian transgression of the Central Paratethys Sea.


Author(s):  
Richard K.F. Unsworth ◽  
James J. Bell ◽  
David J. Smith

The present study considered the influence of the tide on shallow water fish assemblages within the Wakatobi Marine National Park, Indonesia. Timed underwater visual observations were made across a gradient of intertidal to subtidal habitats from near-shore to reef crest at different tidal heights. Transient fish were found to dominate shallow water fish assemblages and the assemblage composition varied with tidal state. Fish assemblages were more diverse and abundant at higher tides in both coral and sea grass habitats, however, this was more pronounced within sea grass habitats. A tidal reduction from ≈2.0m to ≈0.8m (above chart datum) corresponded to a 30% reduction in fish abundance, while species richness also significantly decreased from 13.5 to 10.8 species per standardized timed observation. Fifty fish groups were reported from sea grass habitats with the most abundant being from the Engraulidae family and Lethrinus harak, which form important local subsistence fisheries. This research confirms the importance of tidal changes in structuring the fish fauna of Indonesian sea grass habitats and underlines the connectivity that exists between these habitats and nearby coral reefs.


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milton Goncalves Silva Junior ◽  
Antonio Carlos Leal Castro ◽  
Ulrich Saint-Paul

The northern coast of Brazil has more than 30 estuaries distributed along 650 km of coastline. These conditions favor the presence of relatively large fish communities in estuarine environments, but published information on the fish fauna in tidal creeks in northern Brazil is only available for some mangrove systems, and comparative studies between fish estuarine communities in different tidal creeks are less common. The choice of the study area was based on the fact that it has been poorly investigated with regard to estuarine fish fauna in comparison in mangrove tidal creeks using the same fishing gear. The objective of the present study was to compare the composition of the relative biomass of taxonomic, functional and ecological guilds of fish assemblages occurring in estuarine systems along the northern coast of Brazil. The study area of the present comparative analysis extended from the southeastern edge of the Marajoara Gulf to the western edge of the Maranhense Gulf. A comparative analysis among different estuarine systems was performed using data from other studies. The abundance of juveniles was greater in the Caeté, Curuçá and Cururuca estuaries than other estuaries. Cluster analysis separated the estuaries into two distinct groups and significant differences between these groups only exist in relation to geographical proximity. The present investigation indicates that the coastal region between the states of Pará and Maranhão is characterized by high dynamics and environmental heterogeneity, particularly with regard to changes in river discharge and tidal fluctuations. The present results underscore the importance of ecological information on ichthyofauna in tropical estuaries in order to include appropriate descriptors in conservation or restoration processes of marine communities and habitats.


2021 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Cesar SANTOS ◽  
Roberto SCHWARZ JUNIOR ◽  
Helen Audrey PICHLER ◽  
Olímpio Rafael CARDOSO ◽  
Marcelo Renato LAMOUR ◽  
...  

The composition and structure of fish assemblages in the inner continental shelf of the Paraná State are affected by cold fronts and the rainfall regime. Data from fishing activities in this region, as well as the analysis of environmental characteristics, are the main tools available for understanding fish dynamics, under influence of increasing human activities. In order to better understand patterns and temporal variations in fish assemblages in the inner continental shelf of the Paraná State, a total of 24 double trawls were performed with an otter trawl between August 2000 and July 2001, in two sampling areas, the North area in front of the northern mouth of the Paranaguá Estuary Complex, and the South area, in front of the Leste beach. A total of 45,277 fish specimens belonging to 35 families and 97 species were caught. Sciaenidae was the most abundant family, with 37.1% of the total number of individuals caught, and with the highest richness (18 species). Statistical analyses evidenced significant differences in environmental characteristics and in fish fauna, and that both areas disturbances were observed in the fish assemblages during the dry and wet season, being more intense in the Southern area, disturbances that would be related to the shrimp fishing present in the two areas sampled in this study.


2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yandong Hou ◽  
Hao Long ◽  
Lei Gao ◽  
Ji Shen

AbstractLuminescence dating technology has been used for chronological constraints on lacustrine sediments due to the ubiquitous materials (e.g., quartz and feldspar) as dosimeters, and a relatively long dating range, compared with the commonly used radiocarbon dating method. However, quartz dating on the Tibetan Plateau may suffer from dim and unstable luminescence signals. In the current study, we investigate a lake-related outcrop from the shore of Cuoe Lake on the central Tibetan Plateau. Both coarse-grained quartz and K-feldspar fractions were extracted, and OSL and post-IR IRSL signals were measured from these fractions, respectively. Combining the stratigraphy analysis and dating results, this study shows that: (1) quartz appears to be unsuitable for dating because of very dim natural signals and even anomalous fading (average g-value: 4.30 ± 2.51 %/decade). The suitability of the applied pIRIR protocol measured at 150°C (pIRIR150) for K-feldspar samples was confirmed by a set of luminescence tests; (2) compared with the luminescence-based chronology, the 14C age of shells from the same sediment layer yielded older age by ~7 ka, which is likely attributed to hard water reservoir effect in Cuoe Lake; (3) the lake level reached its peak and maintained high-stand during the early Holocene (~9.4–7.1 ka). This study highlights the applicability of K-feldspar luminescence dating when the counterpart quartz OSL is insensitive and encounters anomalous fading.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. G. Diedrich

The Fürstenau Formation (Lutetian, Paleogene, Eocene) is based on type sections near Fürstenau in Germany (central Europe) and is built of 22 meter thick marine glauconitic and strongly bioturbated sands, clays, and a vertebrate-rich conglomerate bed. The conglomerate layer from the Early Lutetian transgression reworked Lower Cretaceous, and Paleogene marine sediments. It is dominated by pebbles from the locally mountains which must have been transported by an ancient river in a delta fan. Marine reworked Lower Cretaceous and Paleogen pebbles/fossils, were derived from the underlying deposits of northern Germany (= southern pre North Sea basin). The benthic macrofauna is cold upwelling water influenced and non-tropical, and medium divers. The vertebrate fish fauna is extremely rich in shark teeth, with about 5,000 teeth per cubic meter of gravel. The most dominant forms are teeth from sand shark ancestors Striatolamia macrota, followed by white shark ancestors Carcharodon auriculatus. Even teeth from the magatooth shark ancestor Carcharocles sokolovi are present in a moderately diverse and condensed Paleogene fish fauna that also includes rays, chimaeras, and more then 80 different bony fish. Fragmentary turtle remains are present, and few terrestrial vertebrates and even marine mammals with phocids, sirenians and possibly whales.


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