The first fossil from the superdiverse clade Loricariinae (Siluriformes, Loricariidae): a new species of the Armored Catfish from the late Miocene of Parana, Argentina

Armored catfishes of the subfamily Loricariinae include more than 250 species and 31 genera distributed along South America from Costa Rica to Buenos Aires province in central Argentina. In spite of that, the entire clade lacks a single paleontological record. In this work, a new species of Loricariinae belonging to the genus Sturisomatichthys from late Miocene Ituzaingo beds at Parana locality, Entre Rios province, Argentina, is described. The holotype and only known specimen consists on a partially preserved body, with features that allow the recognition of a new species. The new taxon fits previous hypotheses, indicating that the Miocene fish faunas from paleo-Parana basin were close to those of northern South America.