Direct evidence of cannibalism in the Oligocene cutlassfish Anenchelum glarisianum Blainville, 1818 (Perciformes: Trichiuridae)

摘要

Cannibalisminancientfishesisaninterestingpaleobiologicalfactwhichhasrarelybeenidentifiedinthefossilrecord.Onesuchcaseisdescribedhere.ThespecimenofapartlypreservedTrichiuridaefish,Anenchelumglarisianum,containstheremainsofpreyinsidethebodycavity.Twotypesofpreycanbeidentified,oneofwhichisA.glarisianum.Theheadsofthepreyareorientedposteriorlyinsidethebodycavity.OnthebasisofanalogywithrecentpopulationsoftrichiuridfishfromTaiwan,cannibalismmostlikelyresultedfromapaleoecologicimbalanceinthepopulationofA.glarisianuminLiten??ice.OtherknowndataonthefeedinghabitsoffossilTrichiuridaearementioned.