Re: Larval fish fossils

[rbiaggi@xxxxxxxxxxxx (Roberto E. Biaggi)]

>Has anyone heard of or found fossil evidence of larval fishes?  Since
>cartilage would not readily fossilize they are probably very rare.  But under
>quiet, anoxic  conditions they should survive.

In the Eocene Green River Formation of SW Wyoming, Grande reports the
occurrence of numerous specimens of the extinct clupeomorph Diplomystus,
where the developmental states from embryo still in the egg, to unossified
juveniles to fully ossified juveniles, are abundantly represented.  These
fish where living in Fossil Lake.  I believe that similar occurrences have
been found in the adjacent Green River basin.

Check out the following references:
Grande, L., 1984, Paleontology of the Green River Formation, with a review
of the fish fauna,  The Geological Survey of Wyoming, Bulletin 63, 333 p.
A 12mm long egg with Diplomystus inside, as well as a unossified young
Diplomystus are pictured on p. 101.
Buchheim, H.P., and Surdam, R.C., 1981, Paleoenvironments and fossil fish
of the Laney Member, Green River Formation, Wyoming, in Gray, J., ed.,
Communities of the Past, Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, Dowden, Hutchinson Ross
Company, p. 415-452.

Hope this is of help,
Happy Holidays, Roberto