Morphological characters in light of new molecular phylogenies: the caudal-fin skeleton of Ovalentaria - Sorbonne Université
Journal Articles Royal Society Open Science Year : 2022

Morphological characters in light of new molecular phylogenies: the caudal-fin skeleton of Ovalentaria

Abstract

The Ovalentaria is a taxon of teleosts that has been proposed based on molecular analyses only. Previously widely separated families are assembled in this taxon. For the first time, the Ovalentaria are analysed using a comparative morphological approach. The caudal-fin skeleton of 355 species covering all 48 ovalentarian families are examined in cleared and stained specimens, µCT datasets and X-ray images as well as from the literature. A total of 38 morphological characters are evaluated and used for ancestral character state reconstructions and phylogenetic analyses. Results provide hypotheses for a scenario of the evolution of the caudal-fin skeleton and its ground plan in Ovalentaria. An evolutionary trend towards the reduction of skeletal elements in the caudal fin is observed. Connections between the evolution of the caudal-fin skeleton and modes of locomotion found in ovalentarian taxa are discussed. Phylogenetic analyses based on the caudal-fin morphology provide topologies for intra-ovalentarian relationships that largely agree with molecular hypotheses.
Fichier principal
Vignette du fichier
rsos.211605.pdf (3.15 Mo) Télécharger le fichier
Origin Publication funded by an institution

Dates and versions

hal-03534253 , version 1 (19-01-2022)

Identifiers

Cite

Philipp Thieme, Nalani K Schnell, Kerryn Parkinson, Timo Moritz. Morphological characters in light of new molecular phylogenies: the caudal-fin skeleton of Ovalentaria. Royal Society Open Science, 2022, 9 (1), ⟨10.1098/rsos.211605⟩. ⟨hal-03534253⟩
57 View
27 Download

Altmetric

Share

More