Osteology and phylogenetic relationships of Haqelpycnodus picteti gen. and sp. nov., a new pycnodont fish genus (Pycnodontidae) from the marine Late cCretaceous tropical sea of Lebanon

The osteology and the phylogenetic relationships of Haqelpycnodus picteti gen. and sp. nov., a pycnodont fish from the marine Cenomanian (Late Cretaceous) of Lebanon, are studied in details. The new fossil genus belongs to the family Pycnodontidae, as shown by the presence of a brush-like process on the parietal. H. picteti shares a few specialized characters with the members of the subfamily Pycnodontinae. The posterior region of the endocranium is exposed. The dermosphenotic is sutured to the skull roof. The lower margin of the dermopterotic and the dermosphenotic is located at the level of the orbital lower border. The dilatator fossa is deep and well visible above the hyomandibula. However, one of the main characters of Pycnodontinae is missing in H. picteti, i. e., the presence of a bifid cloacal scale, with two narrow and acuminate ventral branches. Within the phylogeny of Pycnodontidae, H. picteti is the immediate plesiomorphic sister-taxon of Pycnodontinae.