Phractocephaline catfishes from the late Miocene of Argentina, with the description of a new taxon

Abstract

The fossil record of ‘phractocephaline’ catfishes in South America is relatively rich. The extinct species Phractocephalus ivy Azpelicueta and Cione, 2016, was named on the basis of diverse material coming from late Miocene beds of Paraná City, Argentina. A review of the holotype specimen described by those authors allows us to recognize that the individual may be referred to the extant genus Steindachneridion; thus, we propose the new taxonomic combination Steindachneridion ivy. Furthermore, part of the material described by previous authors may be effectively included within Phractocephalus. In this sense, the finding of new specimens in paleontological collections allows us to refer all these specimens to a new, previously unrecognized Phractocephalus species. The fossil record of ‘phractocephalines’ in the Paraná paleobasin indicates that the area played an important role in the evolution of this clade of basal pimelodids.