Fossil marine actinopterygian fishes from the Kaskapau Formation (Upper Cretaceous: Turonian) near Watino, Alberta
Turonian fossil marine fishes occur at several localities near Watino, Alberta, in sandstones and in shale concretions of the Vimy Member, Kaskapau Formation. The actinopterygian fossils in the sandstone facies include Belonostomus, Ichthyodectes, Apateodus, Cimolichthys, Dercetidae, and Enchodus. The sandstone facies also includes abundant chondrichthyan teeth and denticles. Actinopterygian fossils in the concretion facies include Ichthyodectes, Osmeroides, and Leucichthyops. The Watino assemblage is taxonomically similar to other Turonian fish assemblages but is relatively diverse and includes the first North American record of Apateodus and the oldest North American Dercetidae. The fossils in the sandstone facies are often abraded, rounded, and concentrated together with rounded pebbles in lenses and may in part represent lag deposits formed near storm wave base. In the concretion facies, preservation is consistent with the flotation–decay mechanism acting in deeper, quiet water. Some of the difference...