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Chinese scientists have uncovered a new species of fish, which has shed fresh light on research of the evolution and internal fertilization of the neopterygian group of fish.

The new species, named eltopleurus nitidus sp. nov. by Chinese scitientists, was found in Luoping, Yunnan province. Chinese scientists have conducted research based on 11 well-preserved specimens, extending the geological range of the peltopleuriform by approximately 2 million years.

According to Xu Guanghui, a research fellow from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, the newly discovered species is the oldest and most primitive representative of the ovoviviparous neopterygian fish. Its discovery will promote research of the origin of the neopterygian.

According to Xu’s paper, published by Science Bulletin on Nov. 14, results of preliminary analysis provide robust support for the sister-group relationships of the Peltopleuridae and Thoracopteridae. The male anal fin of the P. nitidus shows a primitive condition not seen in other peltopleuriforms. Clues provided by the fin may shed new light on the internal fertilization of this group.