A new species of Pleuropholis (Teleostei: Pleuropholidae) from the Upper Cretaceous Akrabou Formation of southeastern Morocco, with comments on the evolutionary history of the genus

A pleuropholid fish is described for the first time from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Akrabou Formation, Agoult locality, southeastern Morocco. The new material, consisting of a single complete specimen, is attributed to a new species, Pleuropholis danielae, diagnosed by its slender body shape, the absence of a leptolepid notch in the dentary, a broad maxilla, covering almost the entirely lower jaw, and flank scales with an unserrated posterior margin. This species represents the last known occurrence of Pleuropholidae, a group so far unknown from the Late Cretaceous.