Plesiozanobatus, Marram̀ & Carneval & Claeso & Naylo & Kriwe, 2020

Marram ̀, Giuseppe, Carneval, Giorgio, Claeso, Kerin M., Naylo, Gavin J. P. & Kriwe, Jurgen, 2020, Revision of the Eocene ‘ Platyrhina’ species from the Bolca Lagerst atte (Italy) reveals the first panray (Batomorphii: Zanobatidae) in the fossil record, Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 18 (18), pp. 1519-1542 : 1528

Genus † Plesiozanobatus gen. nov.

Type species. † Torpedo egertoni De Zigno, 1876 .

Diagnosis. Pectoral disc large and roughly rounded, representing 56–70% TL; tail stout and short, distinctly demarcated from the disc; two dorsal fins and caudal fin present; densely, closely set small dermal denticles forming a continuous pavement; large, rounded, scattered thorns covering the entire disc and tail; rostral cartilage absent; nasal capsules laterally expanded without horn-like processes; long propterygia extending near the anterior margin of the disc; mesopterygium absent; about 65–75 pectoral radials; puboischiadic bar narrow and moderately arched; approximately 20 pelvic-fin rays; 80–90 vertebrae; about 10 pairs of ribs.

Derivation of name. From the Ancient Greek word pλGR ί o u (pl̄eśıon) meaning ‘near’ or ‘close’, and Zanobatus , to remark upon its close relationship with the living panray genus.

Included species. Type species only.

Remarks. De Zigno (1876) considered that the overall similarity of the disc shape and the absence of a tail sting on the holotypic specimen MGP-PD 154Z justified the assignment of this species to the genus Torpedo . Later, Jaekel (1894), analysing additional, better preserved material, assigned the species † T. egertoni to Platyrhina . However, he noticed that the fossil species from Bolca might have been more closely related to Platyrhina schoenleinii than to Platyrhina sinesensis because of the general shape and proportions of the body and disc, as well as the arrangement of the pectoral radials and gill arches. Platyrhina schoenleinii is currently recognized as Zanobatus schoenleinii (see Compagno 1999).