Early Eocene fish otoliths from the eastern and southern USA Author Lin, Chien-Hsiang 50EBAA8C-3EE0-4655-A0BB-694D9A8F49BA Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, 128 Academia Road, Seca 2, Nankang, Taipei 11529, Taiwan. chlin.otolith@gmail.com Author Steurbaut, Etienne 9A884B23-5D05-4D6C-92B8-08B321D16845 Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, 29 Vautier Street, 1000 Brussels, Belgium. & Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200 E, 3001 Leuven, Belgium. etienne.steurbaut@naturalsciences.be Author Nolf, Dirk 6BCC71A0-1BEE-4BC0-BDFC-D070609DEFAB Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, 29 Vautier Street, 1000 Brussels, Belgium. dirk.nolf@scarlet.be text European Journal of Taxonomy 2024 2024-06-04 935 203 240 https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/2557/11559 journal article 298344 10.5852/ejt.2024.935.2557 b9f405d9-04c7-4cfe-9f28-b6edc3416cb0 2118-9773 11526096 6C66A1E4-7EA4-45B7-B261-5D3ED749568E Albula meridiana (Frizzell, 1965) Fig. 3C–D The otoliths are elongate to rectangle in shape, with a cauda that is bent downward and a nearly flat dorsal rim that ends with a weak postero-dorsal angle. Albula meridiana was originally described as Eoalbula meridiana by Frizzell (1965), and later assigned to the “ genus Albulidarum ” by Nolf (1985) and remained as such in the following literature ( Müller 1999 ). However, the species remains doubtful ( Nolf 2013 ) and requires further study as suggested by Nolf & Dockery (1993) . Frizzell’s taxonomic acts were questionable, as they were mainly based on poorly-preserved or juvenile specimens, and his otolith-based genera were forced to reveal tentative evolutionary lineages. Despite this, based on their distinct characters, the three better-preserved otoliths described in this study can be confidently assigned to this species. Albula meridiana is only known from the Bashi Formation of Mississippi .