Some considerations on the nomenclatural and taxonomic status of the upper Miocene ocean sunfish Orthagoriscus (Mola) lathanicus Gagnaison & Bouilly, 2009

The family Molidae comprises one of the tetraodontiform lineages with the least known fossil record. Each new addition to the short list of extinct molid taxa significantly contributes to shed light on the patterns of diversity and distribution of ocean sunfishes through time. This is particularly true for the Miocene, which is regarded as an interval of increased abundance and diversity of ocean sunfishes worldwide. Here, we reconsider the nomenclatural status of the fossil ocean sunfish taxon Orthagoriscus (Mola) lathanicus Gagnaison & Bouilly, 2009 from the upper Miocene of central-western France and argue that it represents an unavailable species name in light of the ICZN Code's criteria. In addition, we briefly discuss the taxonomic significance of the specimens that have been assigned to Orthagoriscus (Mola) lathanicus in the broader framework of the upper Miocene fossil record of the family Molidae from the Northeastern Atlantic region. We conclude that these fossils are too fragmentary to comprise the hypodigm of a new species, and should rather be regarded as not diagnostic below the family-level.