Revision of the scombroid fishes from the Cenozoic of England

Abstract

Since 1966, when the last major work on fossil scombroid fishes (Scombroidei, Perciformes) from England appeared, our knowledge of the taxonomy and systematics of Recent scombroids has been thoroughly updated, improved and studied in the context of cladistic methods. In comparison, our knowledge of the fossil taxa has lagged much behind. As part of a revision of all fossil and Recent scombroid fishes, the present paper describes an updated systematic palaeontology of the English fossil taxa. These are a subset of taxa subject to a cladistic analysis of Recent and fossil genera combined, the results of which will appear in future papers. Three new genera are erected, two species transferred to other, already existing, ones and a new species is described (in a new genus). The author follows the opinion that Eothynnus Woodward, 1901 is a carangid. Several individual specimens are re-identified. The systematic affinities of Tamesichthys Casier, 1966, Eocoelopoma Woodward, 1901, Scombramphodon Woodward, 1901, Sphyraenodus Agassiz, 1844, Wetherellus Casier, 1966 and Woodwardella Casier, 1966, and a few new taxa, are here considered unknown. Aglyptorhynchus Casier, 1966 is probably a billfish, and Cylindracanthus Leidy, 1856, is possibly one as well, even though there are serious objections to this.