The Late Eocene—Early Oligocene Ichthyofauna from the Eastend Area of the Cypress Hills Formation, Saskatchewan, Canada

ABSTRACT The Eocene through Miocene Cypress Hills Formation of Saskatchewan and Alberta has been the basis of studies on sedimentology, paleobotany, herpetofauna, avifauna, and mammalian local faunas. We describe the ichthyofauna from the Eastend area of the formation, representing late Eocene Chadronian to early Oligocene Whitneyan deposits. This fauna is diverse, including at least 14 fish taxa: Lepisosteus, Amiinae, aff. Hiodon, at least three cypriniforms among which is a Ptychocheilus-like leuciscine and at least one catostomid, two ictalurids, both ascribed to Astephus, a probable salmoniform, an amblyopsid-like percopsiform, Mioplosus, a probable moronid, a centrarchid, and at least one other perciform of uncertain affinity. The formation may therefore represent the first fossil record of the Amblyopsidae, and the first North American occurrence of the Moronidae. The composition of the ichthyofauna suggests higher temperatures during the Eocene—Oligocene transition than at present. Paleotemperature...