Fossil fish of Armenia

For 2011, the fossil fish fauna of Armenia is represented by 30 taxa belonging to 9 orders - 2 taxa of cartilage fish (from the Triassic to the Cretaceous ), 28 - bony (from the Cretaceous to the Pleistocene ). According to the species composition of fossil fish, one can keep track of the main paleohydrographic changes in conditions on the territory of modern Armenia .

• The detection of Helicampodus egloni and sharks indicates the presence of a marine regime from the lower Triassic to the Cretaceous .
• The presence of the Lepidotus ohannes imprint indicates the possibility of the existence of freshwater bodies of water on island land areas of the Cretaceous .
• The discovery of freshwater carp fish, a large-headed paleogolov, indicates the presence of a freshwater reservoir, and therefore a large land area in northern Armenia in the lower Oligocene.
• Detection of small herring ( Alosa sp. , Clupea cf. lanceolata , C. cf. Ventricosa ), aterinaceous ( Atherina schelkovnikovi ), carpent (species Prolebias and Aphanius ), as well as carps ( Chondrostoma sp. , Leuciscinae gen. Et sp. Indet and others) indicates the presence of brackish-sea and freshwater regimes on the territory of the Ararat plain and adjacent areas during the Upper Miocene .
• Detection of various species of salmon ( Salmo sp. ) And carp ( Alburnus sisianensis , Capoeta sp. , Rutilus oswaldi , Garra sp. Fish of the genus Dace ( Leuciscus ), etc.) indicates a stable freshwater regime in most of modern Armenia and the beginning of the formation of modern ichthyofauna of the region, starting from the Pliocene . ^[one]

The ichthyofauna (fish) of the territory of modern Armenia was formed in parallel with the formation of the relief, and under its influence. In the Triassic period, this territory was located under the seas, where, possibly, many species of fish lived.

During the Cretaceous, the seas continued to cover the territory of present-day Armenia, but only partially. At this time, there were also island land areas and freshwater lakes. The Upper Eocene - Oligocene time can be considered the initial stage of the development of modern relief of Armenia , when in the central diagonal part of the interfluve of the Kura and Araks rivers a land with a freshwater-lake regime was formed.

During the Miocene period, both freshwater lakes and brackish seas existed. At the end of the Upper Miocene (Upper Sarmatian), the Middle Sarmatian Sea retreated. Very significant changes occurred in the paleogeography of the interfluve of the Kura and Araks rivers after the Sarmatian, in the Lower Middle Pliocene time. Here, the last remnants of the sea (lagoon) conditions that existed in the Sarmatian and, starting from the Pliocene , the upland region between Kura and Arax are completely and completely entering the continental phase of their development.

For 2011, 28 taxa of fossil bony fishes were discovered and described on the territory of Armenia. They are represented by marine species and belong to marine and freshwater genera .

• Sea genera: Clupea (Clupeiformes), Atherina (Аtheriniformes), Prolebias (Cyprinidontiformes).
• Freshwater genera: Salmo (Salmoniformes), Alburnus , Rutilus , Capoeta , Palaeoleuciscus (Cypriniformes), Silurus (Siluriformes).

The ichthyofauna of the Plio- Pleistocene period of Armenia is relatively well studied. Thus, Alburnus sisianensis , Barbus sp., Salmo derzhavini Vladimirov, 1946, Salmo sp .; were found and described from the Upper Pliocene – Lower Pleistocene diatom deposits of the Vorotan River . from the Pleistocene deposits (near the abandoned village of Gelaisor) - Capoeta sp., Barbus sp ..

In 2006, a joint expedition of the Institute of Zoology, Institute of Botany of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia and the Armenian State Pedagogical University named after X. Abovian visited diatomite deposits of Mount Chardash between the Azat and Vedi rivers near the abandoned Gelaisor village, where a freshwater lake was located during the Earth's Pleistocene period, which was located indicate thick deposits of diatomite . In this area were found the remains of carp fish, the description and identification of which is the purpose of this work.

A total of 18 remains of carp fish were found, which include both the isolated bones of the neurocranium, visceral, axial skeletons, pharyngeal teeth, and the full skeleton. The collections were carried out from the horizons of diatom deposits 1, 2, and 4 near the abandoned village of Gelaisor ( Ararat marz ; coordinates: 40 ° 01 '37 N , 44 ° 48' 57 E ). Comparison of the material with the skeletons of modern carp revealed the greatest similarity of the material to the Andler stone dwellers living in Central and Southern Europe ( Telestes souffia ), although the findings from Armenia are very different from the Andrugs in the structure of the lacrimal and hyomandibular bones of the skull ^[2] .

The length of the individuals was about 115 mm. The body is elongated with a straight line of the back. The head is large. Axial consisted of 42-43 vertebrae; The first four of them are the vertebrae of the Weberian apparatus . The scales are large, round shape. They had pointed, hook-shaped pharyngeal teeth (about 2.6 mm long) ^[2] .

The material was also collected from the Cretaceous sediments of the Vayots Dzor region (near the village of Khndzorut ), from the oligomiocene lake deposits in the vicinity of the city of Dilijan , from the Pleo- Pleistocene lake deposits of the Vorotan and Azat basins. In the end, about 200 samples were collected from the remnants and imprints of bones or skeletons of 12 types of fossil fish.

In the study of fossil material, a measurement system was used within the framework of the standard procedure. As part of the objects of study were representatives of living or close to them forms, osteological preparations of representatives of modern fauna of Armenia , as well as osteological preparations of collection funds of the Institute of Zoology ( Yerevan ), Bavarian State Museum of Paleontology and Geology ( Munich ), Institute of Zoology were made for comparison of morphological features. Paleoanatomy, research on nationalization and history of veterinary medicine ( Munich ). Literature data was also used for comparative osteological analysis. When constructing the taxon order, the work of Nelson was taken into account. ^[3]

According to the data of 2011, 30 taxa of fossil fish belonging to 9 orders were found in Armenia and adjacent territories, an annotated list of which is given below.

• Paleontology of Armenia
• Fish Resources of Armenia
• Paleontology