Abstract Sir Arthur Smith Woodward published many scientific works on fossil fishes from Brazil, among them the description of 14 new species and the redefinition of two lectotypes. This paper provides an illustrated, taxonomic update on the following taxa, together with comments on their repository and other relevant remarks: Lissodus nitidus ( Woodward, 1888 ), Rhinoptera prisca Woodward, 1907 , ‘ Lepidotes ’ mawsoni Woodward, 1888 , ‘ Lepidotes ’ souzai Woodward, 1908 a , Calamopleurus mawsoni ( Woodward, 1902 ), ‘ Belonostomus ’ carinatus Mawson & Woodward, 1907 , Paleopiquitinga brasiliensis ( Woodward, 1939 ), Lignobrycon ligniticus ( Woodward, 1898 ), Brycon avus ( Woodward, 1898 ), Steindachneridion iheringi ( Woodward, 1898 ), Scombroclupeoides scutata ( Woodward, 1908 a ), Macracara prisca Woodward, 1939 , Mawsonia gigas Woodward, 1907 , Mawsonia minor Woodward, 1908 a ; Vinctifer comptoni ( Agassiz, 1841 ) and Notelops brama ( Agassiz, 1841 ).

Abstract Although a diverse range of aquatic vertebrates are documented from the Upper Cretaceous (mid-Campanian) marine strata of the Kristianstad Basin in southern Sweden, only chondrichthyans and marine amniotes have been described in detail to date. In contrast, coeval actinopterygians are virtually unreported, yet their remains are extremely abundant at most sampled localities. A comprehensive assessment of these fossils has identified the first Late Cretaceous actinopterygian fauna from the Fennoscandian Shield, incorporating indeterminate lepisosteids, the durophagous pycnodontid Anomoeodus subclavatus , the predatory pachycormid Protosphyraena sp., a large ichthyodectid, pachyrhizodontids resembling Pachyrhizodus , the enchodontid Enchodus cf. gladiolus and indeterminate small teleosts. These taxa are diagnosed mainly from isolated teeth and scales, implying substantial taphonomic loss prior to burial. Moreover, the prolific recovery of actinopterygian skeletal remnants in recent excavations suggests that historical collecting biases, rather than ecological paucity, have contributed to their under-representation in the Swedish Cretaceous record. Palaeobiogeographically, the Kristianstad Basin actinopterygians show compositional resemblance to assemblages from the Northern European Platform and the Western Interior Seaway of North America, advocating distributional communication across the Boreal proto-Atlantic Ocean.

Abstract The Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Maastrichtian) Chalk Group and Eocene (Ypresian) London Clay Formation are two British marine deposits that yield globally significant assemblages of fossil actinopterygian (ray-finned) fishes. Materials from these units, especially the Chalk, featured prominently in the work of Arthur Smith Woodward. Here we summarize the history of study of actinopterygian fossils from the Chalk and London Clay, review their geological and palaeoenvironmental context and provide updated faunal lists. The Chalk and London Clay are remarkable for preserving fossil fishes in three dimensions rather than as the flattened individuals familiar from many other famous Lagerstätten , as well as capturing detailed ‘snapshots’ of marine fish faunas that bracket the major taxonomic shift that took place near the Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary.