First Evidence of Lanternfishes from the Last Interglacial (MIS 5e) of Santa Maria Island (Azores Archipelago: NE Atlantic Ocean): Paleoecology and Paleobiodiversity

Fossils provide invaluable data for evolutionary studies in oceanic islands. The paleontological record of the Macaronesian archipelagos has been the target of many researchers for a long time, with a recent surge in interest in scientific research related to their paleontological heritage. In the Macaronesian Azores archipelago, the marine invertebrate fossil record from the warmest period of the Last Interglacial stage (also known as Marine Isotopic Stage 5e—MIS 5e) represents approximately 95.6% of the total species. In contrast, the MIS 5e marine vertebrate fossil record comprises only four reported species (2.2%), with marine algae accounting for the remaining 2.2% (four species). This study reports on—and adds to the paleobiodiversity of the MIS 5e deposits at Santa Maria Island (Azores Archipelago)—two marine mesopelagic lanternfishes, identified from their otoliths: Diaphus cf. holti Tåning, 1918, and Symbolophorus veranyi (Moreau, 1888). Finally, we offer a plausible explanation for the presence of mesopelagic fishes in the MIS 5e fossiliferous deposits of Santa Maria Island.