Direct evidence of cannibalism in the Oligocene cutlassfish Anenchelum glarisianum Blainville, 1818 (Perciformes: Trichiuridae)

 

Authors: Přikryl T, Novosad B

Published in: Bulletin of Geosciences, volume 84, issue 3; pages: 569 - 572; Received 26 November 2008; Accepted in revised form 2 March 2009; Online 28 July 2009

Keywords: Trichiuridae, cannibalism, feeding habits, fish, paleobiology, cutlassfish,

full text (PDF, 3.4 MB)

Export to RIS

 

Abstract

Cannibalism in ancient fishes is an interesting paleobiological fact which has rarely been identified in the fossil record. One such case is described here. The specimen of a partly preserved Trichiuridae fish, Anenchelum glarisianum, contains the remains of prey inside the body cavity. Two types of prey can be identified, one of which is A. glarisianum. The heads of the prey are oriented posteriorly inside the body cavity. On the basis of analogy with recent populations of trichiurid fish from Taiwan, cannibalism most likely resulted from a paleoecologic imbalance in the population of A. glarisianum in Litenčice. Other known data on the feeding habits of fossil Trichiuridae are mentioned.

References

Arambourg, C. 1967. Les Poissons oligocénes de l’Iran. Notes et Mémoires sur le Moyen-Orient 8, 9-210.

Blainville, H.M. de 1818. Sur les ichthyolites ou les poissons fossiles, 310-395. Nouveau Dictionnaire d’Histoire Naturelle, applique aux Arts, a l’Agriculture, a l’Economie Rurale et Domestique, a la Medicine 27. Deterville, Paris.

Boucot, A.J. 1990. Evolutionary paleobiology of behavior and coevolution. 725 pp. Elsevier, London.

Case, G.R. 1982. A pictorial guide to fossils. 309 pp. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., New York.

Chiou, W.-D., Chen, C.-Y., Wang, C.-M. & Chen, C.-T. 2006. Food and feeding habits of ribbonfish Trichiurus lepturus in coastal waters of south-western Taiwan. Fisheries Science 72(2), 373-381.View article

Daniltshenko, P.G. 1960. Kostistiye ryby maikopskich othlozeniy Kavkaza. Trudy Paleontologicheskogo Instituta AN SSSR 78, 1-208.

Denis, K. & Miles, R.S. 1981. Pachyosteomorph arthrodire from Gogo, Western Australia. Zoological Journal of Linnean Society 73(3), 213-258.View article

Gill, T. 1863. Synopsis of the family of lepturoids, and description of a remarkable new generic type. Proceedings of the Academy of the Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 1863, 224-229.

Gregorová, R. 1988. Rybí fauna menilitového souvrství na lokalitě Litenčice a její stratigrafická pozice. Acta Musei moraviae, Scientiae naturales 73, 83-88.

Gregorová, R. 1997. Vývoj společenstev rybí a žraločí fauny v oligocénu vnějších Západních Karpat (Morava) a jejich význam pro paleoekologii, paleobatymetrii a stratigrafii, 29-35. In Hladilová, Š. (ed.) Dynamika vztahů marinního a kontinentálního prostředí. Masarykova univerzita v Brně, Brno.

Gregorová, R. & Mlynarski, M. 1993. Premiere découverte de Glarichelys knorri (Gray), tortue marine (Cheloniidae) dans l’Oligocene des couches a ménilite de Moravie (Tchécoslovaquie). Acta Musei moraviae, Scientiae naturales 77, 63-69.

Jaroš, Z. 1937. Paleogenní rybí fauna z Linhartských Vážan od Slavkova u Brna. Časopis Vlasteneckého spolku musejního v Olomouci 50, 99-106.

Kalabis, V. 1938-40. Ryby se světelnými orgány z menilitových břidlic moravských a způsob života jejich recentních forem ve Středozemním moři. Věstník Klubu přírodovědeckého v Prostějově 26, 1-6.

Lee, S.C. 1978. Food and feeding habits of ribbonfishes, Trichiurus japonicus and T. lepturus. Bulletin of the Institute of Zoology, Academia Sinica 17, 117-124.

Luo, B. 1991. Cutlassfish, 111-113. In Fan, C.Q. (ed.) Marine Fishery Biology. Agriculture Press, Beijing.

Manica, A. 2002. Filial cannibalism in teleost fish. Biological Reviews 77(2), 261-277.View article

Nakamura, I. & Parin, N.V. 1991. FAO species catalogue. Vol. 15. Snake mackerels and cutlassfishes of the world (Families Gempylidae and Trichiuridae). 136 pp.FAOof the United Nations, Rome.

Parin, N.V. 1986. Trichiuridae, 976-980. In Whitehead, P.J.P., Bauchot, M.-L.,Hureau, J.-C.,Nielsen, J.&Tortonese, E. (eds) Fishes of the north-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Vol. 2. UNESCO, Paris.

Pauca, M. 1931. Die fossile fauna und flora aus dem Oligozan von Suslanesti-Muscel in Rumänia. Anuarul Instiutului Geologic al Romaniei 16, 575-668.

Rafinesque, C.S. 1810. Indice d’ittiologia siciliana; ossia, catalogo metodico dei nomi latini, italiani, e siciliani dei pesci, che si rinvengono in Sicilia disposti secondo un metodo naturale e seguito da un appendice che contiene la descrizione de alcuni nuovi pesci sicilian. 70 pp. Giovanní del Nobolo, Messina.View article

Rafinesque, C.S. 1810. Indice d’ittiologia siciliana; ossia, catalogo metodico dei nomi latini, italiani, e siciliani dei pesci, che si rinvengono in Sicilia disposti secondo un metodo naturale e seguito da un appendice che contiene la descrizione de alcuni nuovi pesci sicilian. 70 pp. Giovanní del Nobolo, Messina.

Von Rath, G. 1859. Beiträge zur Kenntniss der fossilen Fische des Plattenberges im Canton Glarus. Zeitschrift der Deutschen Geologischen Gesellschaft 11, 108-132.

Schultze, H.-P. 1972. Early growth stages in coelacanth fishes. Nature: New Biology 236(64), 90-91.

Smith, C. & Reay, P. 1991. Cannibalism in teleost fish. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 1(1), 41-64.View article

Viohl, G. 1990. Piscivorous fishes of the Solnhofen lithographic limestone, 287-303. In Boucot, A.J. Evolutionary paleobiology of behavior and coevolution. Elsevier, London.

Watson, X. 1927. The reproduction of the coelacanth fish Undina. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 28, 453-457.

Watson, X. 1927. The reproduction of the coelacanth fish Undina. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 28, 453-457.View article