The First Record of a Lungfish (Dipnoi, Sarcopterygii) in the Famennian Deposits (Upper Devonian) of the Tver Oblast

Abstract

A new dipnoan genus and species Anchidipterus dariae Krupina, gen. et sp. nov. (Dipteridae) is described based on a lower jaw specimen from the Famennian (Upper Devonian) of the Bilovo locality (Russia, Tver oblast, Toropets district). This taxon is characterized by the short and broad mandibular symphysis, the rostrolateral orientation of the mesial ridge of the prearticular tooth plates and the significant divergence angle of their ridges. The platysymphyseal construction of the lower jaw in Anchidipterus in combination with relatively small and widely spaced tooth plates suggest that this fish fed on poorly armored or soft-bodied, inactive invertebrates and occupied the niche of an unspecialized omnivore in the trophic structure of the community.