A new locality in Spain for Nebriimimus wardi, an enigmatic Pliocene skate previously known only from Italy

The extinct skate genus Nebriimimus Collareta, Mollen, Merella, Casati & Di Cencio, 2021 (Elasmobranchii: Rajiformes) was recently described based on a handful of highly idiosyncratic teeth from two Pliocene localities of Tuscany, central Italy. Assigned to the type and only known species, Nebriimimus wardi, these dental remains are morphologically reminiscent of Dipturus and Rostroraja, but display an unusual multicuspid design. Here, we report on an overlooked occurrence of N. wardi in the Lower Pliocene (Zanclean) of Guardamar del Segura (Alicante Province, Valencian Community, southern Mediterranean Spain), consisting of teeth that were published in the late 20thcentury as belonging to Raja sp. These specimens are part of a shallow-marine, warm-water elasmobranch assemblage, which strengthens our previous interpretation of N. wardi as a thermophilic skate that inhabited coastal and shelf settings. Additional specimens of N. wardi will hopefully be discovered through the further scrutiny of existing palaeontological collections and-especially-new sampling efforts in the Euro-Mediterranean Pliocene.