Description: A recently described fish of the Macrosemiiformes that extends the range of the family both regionally and temporally. This one is found in sublithographic limestone similar to that seen in Lebanon, but comes from a new location in Morocco, and is the largest example of this type I have ever seen. Fish from this location have just become available in the past few years, and most may well be new to science. The family has previously not been known from northern Africa, and is more common from the Jurassic to early Cretaceous. I learned this year at the Tucson show that the location on the Morocco-Algeria border is a militarily sensitive location which had restricted access but now has been closed, making the specimens even harder to find.

Reference: Paleontology, 52 (2), pp 429-440, 2009.