Chinese scientists have uncovered a new species of fish, which has shed fresh light onresearch of the evolution and internal fertilization of the neopterygian group of fish.
The new species, named eltopleurus nitidus sp. nov. by Chinese scitientists, was found inLuoping, Yunnan province. Chinese scientists have conducted research based on 11 well-preserved specimens, extending the geological range of the peltopleuriform byapproximately 2 million years.
According to Xu Guanghui, a research fellow from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontologyand Paleoanthropology, the newly discovered species is the oldest and most primitiverepresentative of the ovoviviparous neopterygian fish. Its discovery will promote researchof the origin of the neopterygian.
According to Xu’s paper, published by Science Bulletin on Nov. 14, results of preliminaryanalysis provide robust support for the sister-group relationships of the Peltopleuridaeand Thoracopteridae. The male anal fin of the P. nitidus shows a primitive condition notseen in other peltopleuriforms. Clues provided by the fin may shed new light on theinternal fertilization of this group.
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