A team of Chinese scientists has discovered fossils of a new species of ancient fish that lived about 249 million years ago, breaking two Asian records.
The fossils were found in Hexian County, Maanshan City in east China's Anhui Province, in rock layers formed during the Early Triassic Period, following the biggest mass extinction in Earth's history.
The discovery was made by Dr. Xu Guanghui and his team from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Chinese Academy of Sciences.
After careful study, the researchers confirmed that the fossils belong to the coelacanth group. They named the new species Whiteia Anniae.
According to Xu, this finding sets two records for Asia: it's the first time the genus Whiteia has ever been found in Asia, and it's also the oldest fossil evidence of this fish family discovered on the continent.
The study was recently published in the journal Scientific Reports, part of Springer Nature. (ECNS)
Xu said in an interview with China News Service that his research team has discovered a new species of perleidid fish in nodular limestones dating back around 249 million years, at the junction of Jiangsu and Anhui provinces recently. Named "Teffichthys wui," this small marine carnivorous fish measures about 11 centimeters in length. The team found six fossil specimens, four from Jiangsu and two from Anhui, all preserved in nodular form. The discovery was published online in Vertebrata PalAsiatica, a professional academic journal, offering new insights into the early evolution and classification of perleidid fish.
Chinese scientists recently found a new fish fossil while exploring the ancient layers of Lixi town, Wuning County in Jiujiang city, East China's Jiangxi Province, a place famous for being a crucial fossil site for ancient vertebrates.
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