Skin patterning and internal anatomy in a fossil moonfish from the Eocene Bolca Lagerstatte illuminate the ecology of ancient reef fish communities.

ABSTRACT: Colour patterning in extant animals can be used as a reliable indicator of their biology and, in extant fish, can inform on feeding strategy. Fossil fish with preserved colour patterns may thus illuminate the evolution of fish behaviour and community structure, but are understudied. Here we report preserved melanin-based integumentary colour patterning and internal anatomy of the fossil moonfish Mene rhombea (Menidae) from the Bolca Lagerstätte (Eocene (Ypresian), north-east Italy). The melanosome-based longitudinal stripes of M. rhombea differ from the dorsal rows of black spots in its extant relative M. maculata, suggesting that the ecology of moonfish has changed during the Cenozoic. Extant moonfish are coastal schooling fish that feed on benthic inver

SUBMITTER: Rossi V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9324815 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May-Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature