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Crypsis in the pelagic realm : evidence from exceptionally preserved fossil fish larvae from the Eocene Stolleklint Clay of Denmark

Heingård, Miriam LU orcid ; Sjövall, Peter LU ; Sylvestersen, René L. ; Schultz, Bo P. and Lindgren, Johan LU (2021) In Palaeontology 64(6). p.805-815
Abstract

Marine deposits of earliest Eocene age in northern Jutland, Denmark, are renowned for yielding diverse teleost assemblages that have proved central for enhancing our understanding of the early evolution of many extant actinopterygian clades. In this study, we investigate diminutive larval fish fossils from the Stolleklint Clay, Ølst Formation, that retain multiple soft-tissue features preserved as distinct dark-coloured stains. To examine the elemental and molecular composition of these soft parts, we employed a combination of time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Our analyses revealed that the preserved structures contain chemically... (More)

Marine deposits of earliest Eocene age in northern Jutland, Denmark, are renowned for yielding diverse teleost assemblages that have proved central for enhancing our understanding of the early evolution of many extant actinopterygian clades. In this study, we investigate diminutive larval fish fossils from the Stolleklint Clay, Ølst Formation, that retain multiple soft-tissue features preserved as distinct dark-coloured stains. To examine the elemental and molecular composition of these soft parts, we employed a combination of time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Our analyses revealed that the preserved structures contain chemically identifiable eumelanin intimately associated with densely aggregated microbodies that are morphologically consistent with melanosome organelles. Thus, we conclude that the carbonaceous structures represent traces of originally melanized body parts, including the eyes and peritoneum. Comparable pigmentation patterns are seen in many extant teleost larvae that use semi-transparency as a means of camouflage in pelagic environments, to suggest a similar visual appearance of the Stolleklint Clay fish fossils. This in turn suggests that adaptations for concealment and UV-protection had already evolved by the beginning of the Eocene, notably during a time interval characterized by an extreme greenhouse climate, when the global fish fauna become increasingly modern in composition.

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
camouflage, melanin, melanosome, pigmentation, Teleostei, Ølst Formation
in
Palaeontology
volume
64
issue
6
pages
805 - 815
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:85114763646
ISSN
0031-0239
DOI
10.1111/pala.12574
project
Exceptional fossil preservation: implications for palaeobiology and taphonomy
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Authors. Palaeontology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Palaeontological Association
id
f5f5e56f-1fdf-4fd8-98ea-66da0e4c964a
date added to LUP
2021-10-12 15:13:05
date last changed
2022-04-27 04:43:09
@article{f5f5e56f-1fdf-4fd8-98ea-66da0e4c964a,
  abstract     = {{<p>Marine deposits of earliest Eocene age in northern Jutland, Denmark, are renowned for yielding diverse teleost assemblages that have proved central for enhancing our understanding of the early evolution of many extant actinopterygian clades. In this study, we investigate diminutive larval fish fossils from the Stolleklint Clay, Ølst Formation, that retain multiple soft-tissue features preserved as distinct dark-coloured stains. To examine the elemental and molecular composition of these soft parts, we employed a combination of time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Our analyses revealed that the preserved structures contain chemically identifiable eumelanin intimately associated with densely aggregated microbodies that are morphologically consistent with melanosome organelles. Thus, we conclude that the carbonaceous structures represent traces of originally melanized body parts, including the eyes and peritoneum. Comparable pigmentation patterns are seen in many extant teleost larvae that use semi-transparency as a means of camouflage in pelagic environments, to suggest a similar visual appearance of the Stolleklint Clay fish fossils. This in turn suggests that adaptations for concealment and UV-protection had already evolved by the beginning of the Eocene, notably during a time interval characterized by an extreme greenhouse climate, when the global fish fauna become increasingly modern in composition.</p>}},
  author       = {{Heingård, Miriam and Sjövall, Peter and Sylvestersen, René L. and Schultz, Bo P. and Lindgren, Johan}},
  issn         = {{0031-0239}},
  keywords     = {{camouflage; melanin; melanosome; pigmentation; Teleostei; Ølst Formation}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{805--815}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Palaeontology}},
  title        = {{Crypsis in the pelagic realm : evidence from exceptionally preserved fossil fish larvae from the Eocene Stolleklint Clay of Denmark}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/pala.12574}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/pala.12574}},
  volume       = {{64}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}