New characoids from the Upper Cretaceous and Paleocene of Bolivia and the Mio-Pliocene of Brazil: phylogenetic position and paleobiogeographic implications

Abstract

Abstract New genera of characoid fossil fishes are described on the basis of remains from the Maastrichtian El Molino Formation and the early late Paleocene Santa Lucía Formation of Bolivia, and the Mio-Pliocene Solimões Formation of Brazil. Comparisons with the Hepsetidae, Erythrinidae, Ctenoluciidae, Acestrorhynchidae, and the characid Hydrocynus allow the following conclusions to be made: the new Bolivian genus lacks some erythrinid synapomorphies but shows notable resemblance to the Acestrorhynchidae, particularly in the pattern of the replacement teeth. The Brazilian genus is included in the erythrinids.