Centroberyx vonderhochti, Schwarzhans, 2023

Centroberyx vonderhochti n. sp.

Figure 17a–d View Fig

Holotype SMF PO 101.219 ( Fig. 17b View Fig ), Dar bel Hamri, coquina at river level of Oued Beth, Zanclean.

Paratype 5 specimens SMF PO 101.277 , same data as holotype .

Further material 5, mostly fragmentary or eroded specimen, Dar bel Hamri, Zanclean.

Etymology Named in honor of Fritz von der Hocht (Kerpen) who alerted me to this unique location and collected many otoliths of the studied assemblage including the type specimens of this species.

Diagnosis Large otoliths to 20 mm in length. OL:OH increasing from 1.05 at 6 mm in length to 1.35 at 20 mm in length. Dorsal rim strongly lobate; ventral rim flattened at midsection. OsL:CaL = 1.10–1.17. Cauda slightly upward directed, with tapering, symmetrical tip.

Description Large otoliths reaching at least 20 mm in length (holotype). OL:OH distinctly allometric, increasing from 1.05 at 6 mm in length to 1.35 in holotype; OH:OT 3.0–3.3. Rostrum and posterior tip moderately strong, superior, with rounded tips, nearly symmetrical. Excisura and antirostrum very small. Dorsal rim anteriorly and posteriorly shortened, relatively shallow, deeply and coarsely lobate, usually highest at predorsal angle. Ventral rim moderately deep, with nearly straight, inclined pre- and postventral rims and flattened midsection, relatively smooth.

Inner face distinctly convex, with supramedian positioned, large and wide sulcus. OsL:CaL = 1.13–1.17 in large and medium sized specimens ( Fig. 17a–c View Fig ), not measurable in smallest specimen ( Fig. 17d View Fig ) because of incomplete rostrum but probably 1.10 or smaller. Ostium slightly upward oriented, its ventral margin deeply lobed, slightly narrowing toward anterior. OsL:OsH = 1.45– 1.75. Cauda slightly upward oriented, nearly symmetrically tapering. Dorsal depression marked by distinct crista superior. Ventral furrow indistinct, very close to ventral rim of otolith if discernable. Outer face flat in large specimens ( Fig. 17a View Fig 2, b2 View Fig ) to distinctly convex in small specimens ( Fig. 17d View Fig 2 View Fig ), smooth.

Discussion Te genus Centroberxy is not currently known from the Atlantic; the nearest extant occurrence is C. spinosus (Gilchrist, 1903) from eastern South Africa. Te current center of distribution of the genus is seas around Australia and New Zealand (four of seven extant species), but this distribution must be regarded as a secondary geographic relict distribution ( Schwarzhans & Jagt, 2021). So far, C. manens Nolf & Brzobohatý, 2004 , from the Early Miocene of Italy and the North Sea Basin represented the last record in the Atlantic, but it is from a different phylogenetic lineage than the specimens from the Pliocene of Morocco. Most extant species of Centroberyx grow to large sizes (50 to 65 cm TL; see Froese & Pauly, 2022) and their otoliths grow to sizes of more than 22 mm in length. For comparison, two extant otoliths are figured of C. affinis (Günther, 1859) reflecting a large specimen near 45 mm TL ( Fig. 17e View Fig ) and a smaller one of unrecorded fish length ( Fig. 17f View Fig ). Smale et al. (1995) figured two otoliths of C. spinosus one 10.6 mm in length from a specimen of 15.2 cm SL, which is near the maximum size of the species (20 cm TL), and the other 7.1 mm in length from a specimen of 12 cm TL. Centroberyx spinosus is a relatively small species in the genus. Centroberyx vonderhochti resembles C. spinosus but differs in having attained at least twice the size of the extant species, the flattened midventral rim, the very intensely lobate dorsal rim, and the ostium being slightly longer than the cauda (OsL;CaL = 1.1–1.17 vs. 1.0–1.05). Most likely, C. vonderhochti and C. spinosus represent vicariant species.