A new albuliform (Teleostei: Elopomorpha) from the Lower Cretaceous Santana Formation, Araripe Basin, northeastern Brazil

A new albuliform fish Bullichthys santanensis gen. nov. sp. nov. is described from the Lower Cretaceous Santana Formation of northeastern Brazil. The specimen is identified as a new plesion of Albuliformes, on the basis of an inflated otic bulla, a well developed ectopterygoid process, and a deep subtemporal fossa. Bullichthys does not belong to the Albulidae or Pterothrissidae because it lacks the broad parasphenoid, parasphenoid and endopterygoid complex with a crushing dentition (opposed by similar dentition on the basibranchial tooth plate), an ossified interorbital septum, a caudal scute, and an occipital condyle bordered by both exoccipitals and basioccipital bones. Bullichthys santanensis gen. nov. sp. nov. differs from all other albuliforms by the presence of a hypurapophysis and a parhypurapophysis. The discovery of B. santanensis increases albuliform diversity during the Early Cretaceous at the very beginning of albuliform history. It presents a suite of both plesiomorphic and derived characters. Such a character assemblage clearly demonstrates the necessity of including stem taxa in phylogenetic analysis based on morphology to resolve the controversial relationships of these basal teleostean fishes.