In a statement issued on Thursday, President of New Valley University Abdel-Aziz Tantawy said the discovery was made by a collaborative team from New Valley University and Damanhour University in the Dakhla Oasis in Egypt’s Western Desert.
The fossil was recovered from marine sediments belonging to the ancient Tethys Sea, which once covered large parts of southern Egypt, particularly the Dakhla Basin, creating a biologically rich marine environment during the Late Cretaceous.
Gabali Abdel-Maksoud Abu El-Kheir, director of the Vertebrate Paleontology Centre and head of the research team, said the newly identified genus has been named Wadiichthys anbaawyi in honour of Mohamed Ibrahim El-Anbaawy, professor of geology at Cairo University and a leading figure in Egyptian geological sciences.
Abu El-Kheir noted that the discovery represents the first documentation of the Saurodontidae family on the African continent. Previously, members of this extinct group of predatory fishes had only been identified in North America and parts of Europe.
He explained that the classification was based on a well-preserved fossil specimen that includes a complete skull, sections of the upper and lower jaws, and the predentary bone — a key diagnostic feature of the family. However, the Egyptian specimen displayed distinct anatomical traits that distinguish it from previously known genera, confirming it as a new genus.
The study has been published in the international peer-reviewed journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.
According to the research team, the fossil was documented using advanced 3D laser scanning techniques, which enable scientists to conduct a detailed anatomical analysis without damaging the specimen.
Technology enhanced the accuracy of the scientific assessment and opened new avenues for understanding ancient marine migration routes across the Tethys Sea between continents.
Tantawy praised the members of the research team, which includes, besides Abu El-Kheir, Essam Zahran, Atef Massoud, Asmaa Kamel, Ahmed Mahmoud Marzouk, Abdel-Hamid El-Bashbishy, and Mohamed Kamel Moussa. He described the discovery as a reflection of the growing scientific standing of New Valley and Damanhour universities and a contribution to strengthening Egypt’s position in international scientific research.
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