2025/06/04 by David R. Bellwood, А. Ф. Банников, Roberto Zorzin · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · #Fish Biology and Ecology Studies #Fish biology, ecology, and behavior #Ichthyology and Marine Biology
paper · doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5642.6.4
openalex publication_date 2025/06/04 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
A new genus and species of damselfish Chiarachromis salazzarii gen. et sp. nov. (Pomacentridae) from the Eocene (49 Ma) Pesciara deposits of the Bolca locality, Italy, is described. Chiarachromis gen. nov. is characterized by a unique combination of vertebral (11+14=25) and unpaired fin-ray counts (D X, 11; A II, 7; C 7, I,7-6,I, 6), long pelvic fins, and the possession of three supraneurals. With exceptional preservation of the fin shape and the body form, this damselfish raises questions about the role of body shape, especially fin height, in the early evolution of reef fishes, and offers new insights into the rapid development of modern, predator-prey interactions in the early evolution of reef fishes.