A new species of Lasalichthys (Actinopterygii, Redfieldiiformes) from the Upper Triassic Dockum Group of Howard County, Texas, with revisions to the genera Lasalichthys and Synorichthys

A new species of redfieldiiform fishes, Lasalichthys otischalkensis, sp. nov., is described based on new, three-dimensionally preserved specimens from the Upper Triassic Dockum Group of Howard County, western Texas. Lasalichthys otischalkensis is diagnosed by a combination of unique traits found in the skull, including shape of maxilla, shape of preoperculum and associated cheek bones, pattern and articulation of bones in the snout, and patterns of sensory line canals in the dermal skull bones. Specimens of this new species display novel patterns in the sensory line canals of the skull that have never been observed in any other redfieldiiform. Examination and comparison of specimens of Lasalichthys and Synorichthys from the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation and Dockum Group indicates that these taxa are only distinguishable at the species level, and Synorichthys is placed into synonymy with Lasalichthys, based on comparison of diagnostic morphological characters. Lasalichthys otischalkensis represents one of the oldest redfieldiiform taxa in North America.