A new Mesozoic teleost of the subfamily Albulinae (Albuliformes: Albulidae) highlights the proto-Gulf of Mexico in the early diversification of extant

We present a new fossil species of the order Albuliformes, dagger Macabi tojolabalensis gen. et sp. nov., from Campanian outcrops of Chiapas state, south-eastern Mexico. The number of branchiostegal rays, a fusion of the lower hypural elements in the caudal-fin skeleton, and the two types of cycloid scales over the body are features that separate this new taxon from other members of the order. Its inclusion in a phylogenetic analysis including fossil and extant species shows that dagger Macabi tojolabalensis gen. et sp. nov. is closely related to the extant Albula vulpes. The biogeographical analysis shows four distinct regions of bonefish diversification during the Cretaceous and identifies the proto-Gulf of Mexico as an important place to understand the early divergence of living albuliformes.