CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

e">Mesozoic deep-bodied actinopterygians are of interest given, among others, the various modes of feeding exhibitedby these fishes. Regrettably, most of their fossil record is restricted to a limited number of localities in Europe. Duringthe Late Jurassic fragmentation of Pangaea, the exchange of fauna between the European Tethys and the paleo-Pacific(southwestern of the South American region) was possible via the marine pathways connecting these areas. This exchange led to the speciation of fish taxa, particularly in the Southern Hemisphere. Although new species are continuouslybeing discovered, our understanding of the Late Jurassic marine ichthyofaunas of the Southern Hemisphere remainslimited. The Mesozoic ichthyofaunas of the Antarctic seas are rich but relatively poorly known presenting a significantopportunity for further research. Noteworthy, previous reports have documented the presence of actinopterygians inthe Late Jurassic of the Antarctic Peninsula. Since 2016, a team of researchers from Argentina has been exploring theUpper JurassicLower Cretaceous Ameghino (= Nordenskjöld) Formation outcrops, resulting in the discovery of a largecollection of actinopterygian fishes. Nevertheless, most of the material remains undescribed. In this article, we reportthe discovery of a deep-bodied actinopterygian found at the Longing Gap, the type locality of the Ameghino Formationin the Antarctic Peninsula. The study of these newly collected materials allows for their taxonomic assignment toAmeghinichthys antarcticus, a taxon previously described for the locality but based on isolated and fragmentary material.Additionally, this study confirms that A. antarcticus belongs to Dapediiformes. Ameghinichthys antarcticus is among theyoungest records of Dapediiformes and represents the southernmost record of the group worldwide.

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