“The impact of the Permian–Triassic mass extinction on marine vertebrates is incompletely understood due to their scarce fossil record. To better understand marine vertebrate extinction and recovery patterns in the Dolomites (Italy), we studied newly collected material and specimens from existing museum collections. Our findings include Acrodus sp. [Chondrichthyes], Bobasatrania aff. ladina [Osteichthyes], an indeterminate actinopterygian from the Changhsingian Bellerophon Formation, and a marine reptile vertebra (cf. Saurosphargidae) from the lower Spathian (Olenekian) Val Badia Member of the Werfen Formation. The putative saurosphargid represents the first Early Triassic marine reptile reported from the Dolomites and possibly one of the oldest known Sauropterygomorpha records worldwide. These new findings indicate that fish diversity in this paleo-tropical shallow shelf community of the western Paleo-Tethys was higher before the extinction event than in the Early Triassic. The appearance of the new apex predator cf. Saurosphargidae relatively soon after the extinction event coincides with the reappearance of predatory cephalopods and precedes the full ecological and taxonomic recovery of benthic groups in the Dolomites community. This challenges previous hypotheses about the delayed recovery of higher trophic groups. Furthermore, we dated a surface sample containing actinopterygian scales from a Permian/Triassic boundary outcrop using U-Pb method and radiolarian biostratigraphy. Results indicate that the rock sample is much younger than the outcrop. Moreover, U-Pb dating reveals an age discrepancy between the scales and the host rock. These findings highlight the need for caution when assigning ages to surface samples or applying radiometric dating to phosphatic fossils.” Read Open Access