ABSTRACT
New specimens from the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang, China were identified as Clupeidae gen. indet. because they have the following synapomorphies of clupeomorph fishes (Grande 1985): 1. Presence of one or more abdominal scutes, each of a single element which crosses the ventral midline of the fish (synapomorphy of Clupeomorpha); 2. An autogenous first hypural (synapomorphy of division 2 of Clupeomorpha); 3. Loss of the beryciform foramen (synapomorphy of Clupeiformes); 4. Fusion of the first uroneural with the first preural centrum (synapomorphy of Clupeoidei); S. Reduction in relative size of the first ural centrum(synapomorphy of Clupeoidei); 6. Presence of two long, rodlike postcleithra (synapomorphy of Clupeidae). It is difficult to make a detailed comparison with other genera of Clupeidae due to the poor preservation of the fish from the Tarim Basin.
