A new species of Ptycholepis (Ptycholepiformes, Actinopterygii) from the Middle Triassic (Anisian) of Luxi, Yunnan Province, China

The fossil taxon Ptycholepis is an extinct ray-finned fish genus ranging from the Middle Triassic to Jurassic, represented by the type species P. bollensis from the Early Jurassic of Germany, England and France and P. barboi near the Ladinian/Anisian boundary (~242 Ma) in the Monte San Giorgio area (southern Alps). Here, we report the discovery of a new species of this genus, P. huoae sp. nov. based on a well-preserved specimen from the Middle Triassic (Anisian, ~244 Ma) marine deposits in Luxi, Yunnan, China. The discovery documents the first record of Ptycholepis in China and fills the previous deficiency of marine ptycholepids in Asia. As the oldest species of Ptycholepis, the new finding predates the previously known oldest record from Europe by approximately two million years, demonstrating a longer geological range and wider biogeographical distribution than previously appreciated for the genus. A comparison of the new species with other species of Ptycholepis adds to our knowledge of the morphological diversity of the genus.