A leerfish (Teleostei, Carangidae) from the Messinian evaporites of the Vena del Gesso basin (Romagna Apennines, Italy): Paleogeographical and paleoecological implications.

A specimen of the leerfish Lichia aff. amia is described from the Messinian evaporite succession of the Vena del Gesso basin, in the Romagna Apennines. The single specimen available is solely represented by a strongly incomplete left pectoral girdle and a caudal vertebra. The palaeoecological analysis of the leerfish and its associated fish biota suggests that it represented a top predator in the coastal lagoons of the Vena del Gesso basin, in which it entered opportunistically, attracted by the abundant food resources available. The composition and ecological structure of the fish assemblage indicate that the lagoons of the Vena del Gesso basin were characterized by a brackish waterbody, periodically influenced by seawater inputs. The marine influences evocated by the presence of the leerfish unequivocally suggest that normal marine conditions occurred close to the coastal lagoons of the Vena del Gesso basin during the deposition of the primary evaporites.