Revision of the Pleistocene clupeid fish Clupanodon tanegashimaensis (Saheki, 1929) from Tanegashima, Southwest Japan

Abstract

Clupea tanegashimaensis was described by Saheki (1929) on the basis ofa single specimen from Sumiyoshi, Katanoyama, Tanegashima Island, Japan. The holotype is reexamined and redescribed with additional specimens excavated from the type locality in 1988 and 1989. This species is not a member of the genus Clupea. It belongs to the genus Clupanodon because of the presence of dorsal scutes and the elongated last dorsal fin ray. The fossil fish fauna from Tanegashima has the potential to be an important basis for understanding the origin and evolution of a number of species in the Pacific coastal fish fauna.