Unknown

Dataset Information

0

A Devonian predatory fish provides insights into the early evolution of modern sarcopterygians.

ABSTRACT: Crown or modern sarcopterygians (coelacanths, lungfishes, and tetrapods) differ substantially from stem sarcopterygians, such as Guiyu and Psarolepis, and a lack of transitional fossil taxa limits our understanding of the origin of the crown group. The Onychodontiformes, an enigmatic Devonian predatory fish group, seems to have characteristics of both stem and crown sarcopterygians but is difficult to place because of insufficient anatomical information. We describe the new skull material of Qingmenodus, a Pragian (~409-million-year-old) onychodont from China, using high-resolution computed tomography to image internal structures of the braincase. In addition to its remarkable similarities with stem sarcopterygians in the ethmosphenoid portion, Qingmenodus exhibits coelacanth-like neurocranial features in the otic region. A phylogenetic analysis based on a revised data set unambiguously assigns onychodonts to crown sarcopterygians as stem coelacanths. Qingmenodus thus bridges the morphological gap between stem sarcopterygians and coelacanths and helps to illuminate the early evolution and diversification of crown sarcopterygians.

SUBMITTER: Lu J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4928971 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

Json Xml
altmetric image

Publications

A Devonian predatory fish provides insights into the early evolution of modern sarcopterygians.

Lu Jing J   Zhu Min M   Ahlberg Per Erik PE   Qiao Tuo T   Zhu You'an Y   Zhao Wenjin W   Jia Liantao L  

Science advances 20160603 6

Crown or modern sarcopterygians (coelacanths, lungfishes, and tetrapods) differ substantially from stem sarcopterygians, such as Guiyu and Psarolepis, and a lack of transitional fossil taxa limits our understanding of the origin of the crown group. The Onychodontiformes, an enigmatic Devonian predatory fish group, seems to have characteristics of both stem and crown sarcopterygians but is difficult to place because of insufficient anatomical information. We describe the new skull material of Qin  ...[more]

Similar Datasets

Unknown Neurocranial anatomy of an enigmatic Early Devonian fish sheds light on early osteichthyan evolution.
| S-EPMC5973833 | biostudies-literature
Unknown End-Devonian extinction and a bottleneck in the early evolution of modern jawed vertebrates.
| S-EPMC2890420 | biostudies-literature
Unknown Devonian rise in atmospheric oxygen correlated to the radiations of terrestrial plants and large predatory fish.
| S-EPMC2964239 | biostudies-other
Unknown The transcriptome of the newt Cynops orientalis provides new insights into evolution and function of sexual gene networks in sarcopterygians.
| S-EPMC7096497 | biostudies-literature
Unknown Tooth replacement in early sarcopterygians.
| S-EPMC6894600 | biostudies-literature
Unknown An exceptionally preserved 110 million years old praying mantis provides new insights into the predatory behaviour of early mantodeans.
| S-EPMC5527957 | biostudies-literature
Unknown Genome of Tetraploid Fish Schizothorax o'connori Provides Insights into Early Re-diploidization and High-Altitude Adaptation.
| S-EPMC7486454 | biostudies-literature
Unknown A Genomic Survey of SCPP Family Genes in Fishes Provides Novel Insights into the Evolution of Fish Scales.
| S-EPMC5713400 | biostudies-literature
Unknown Comparative genomics of monotremes provides insights into the early evolution of mammalian epidermal differentiation genes.
| S-EPMC10791643 | biostudies-literature
Unknown A probable koala from the Oligocene of central Australia provides insights into early diprotodontian evolution.
| S-EPMC10477348 | biostudies-literature