1
|
Toriño P, Dutel H, Soto M, Norbis W, Ezquerra V, Perea D. Reconstructing an ancient fish: Three-dimensional skeletal restoration of the head of Mawsonia (Sarcopterygii, Actinistia) using CT scan, and an adjusted model for body size estimation in fossil coelacanths. J Anat 2024; 245:467-489. [PMID: 38749764 PMCID: PMC11306766 DOI: 10.1111/joa.14054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2024] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 08/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Mawsonia constitutes one of the most conspicuous fossil coelacanth taxa, due to its unique anatomy and possible maximum body size. It typifies Mesozoic coelacanth morphology, before the putative disappearance of the group in the fossil record. In this work, the three-dimensional cranial anatomy and body size estimations of this genus are re-evaluated from a recently described specimen from Upper Jurassic deposits of Uruguay. The 3D restoration was performed directly on the material based on anatomical information provided by the living coelacanth Latimeria and previous two-dimensional restorations of the head of Mawsonia. The montage was then scanned with computed tomography and virtually adjusted to generate an interactive online resource for future anatomical, taxonomic and biomechanical research. In general terms, the model constitutes a tool to improve both the anatomical knowledge of this genus and its comparison with other coelacanths. It also facilitates the evaluation of possible evolutionary trends and the discussion of particular features with potential palaeobiological implications, such as the anterior position of the eye and the development of the pseudomaxillary fold. Regarding the body size, a previous model for body size estimation based on the gular plate was submitted to OLS, RMA, segmented linear and PGLS regressions (including the evaluation of regression statistics, variance analysis, t-tests and residual analysis). The results point to a power relationship between gular and total lengths showing a better support than a simple linear relationship. The new resulting equations were applied to the studied individual and are provided for future estimates. Although an isometric evolutionary growth cannot be rejected with the available evidence, additional models developed with other bones will be necessary to evaluate possible hidden evolutionary allometric trends in this group of fishes, thus avoiding overestimates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Toriño
- Departamento de Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias, Instituto de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Centro Universitario Regional Noreste - sede Tacuarembó, Universidad de la República, Tacuarembó, Uruguay
- Sistema Nacional de Investigadores, Uruguay
| | - Hugo Dutel
- Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR 5199, Pessac, France
- Craniofacial Growth and Form, Hôpital Necker - Enfants Malades, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Matías Soto
- Departamento de Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias, Instituto de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Sistema Nacional de Investigadores, Uruguay
| | - Walter Norbis
- Sistema Nacional de Investigadores, Uruguay
- Laboratorio de Fisiología de la Reproducción y Ecología de Peces, Departamento de Biología Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Víctor Ezquerra
- Departamento Clínico de Imagenología, Hospital de Clínicas, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Daniel Perea
- Departamento de Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias, Instituto de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Sistema Nacional de Investigadores, Uruguay
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ferrante C, Cavin L. Early Mesozoic burst of morphological disparity in the slow-evolving coelacanth fish lineage. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11356. [PMID: 37443368 PMCID: PMC10345187 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-37849-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Since the split of the coelacanth lineage from other osteichthyans 420 million years ago, the morphological disparity of this clade has remained remarkably stable. Only few outliers with peculiar body shape stood out over the evolutionary history, but they were phylogenetically and stratigraphically independent of each other. Here, we report the discovery of a new clade of ancient latimeriid coelacanths representing a small flock of species present in the Western Tethys between 242 and 241 million years ago. Among the four species, two show highly derived anatomy. A new genus shows reversal to plesiomorphic conditions in its skull and caudal fin organisation. The new genus and its sister Foreyia have anatomical modules that moved from the general coelacanth Bauplau either in the same direction or in opposite direction that affect proportions of the body, opercle and fins. Comparisons with extant genetic models shows that changes of the regulatory network of the Hedgehog signal gene family may account for most of the altered anatomy. This unexpected, short and confined new clade represents the only known example of a burst of morphological disparity over the long history of coelacanths at a recovery period after the Permian-Triassic Mass Extinction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Ferrante
- Department of Geology and Palaeontology, Natural History Museum of Geneva, CP 6434, 1211, Geneva 6, Switzerland.
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Geneva, Rue des Maraîchers 13, 1205, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Lionel Cavin
- Department of Geology and Palaeontology, Natural History Museum of Geneva, CP 6434, 1211, Geneva 6, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Cavin L, Alvarez N. Why Coelacanths Are Almost “Living Fossils”? Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.896111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
|
4
|
Mondéjar Fernández J, Meunier FJ, Cloutier R, Clément G, Laurin M. Life history and ossification patterns in Miguashaia bureaui reveal the early evolution of osteogenesis in coelacanths. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13175. [PMID: 35411253 PMCID: PMC8994491 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The study of development is critical for revealing the evolution of major vertebrate lineages. Coelacanths have one of the longest evolutionary histories among osteichthyans, but despite access to extant representatives, the onset of their weakly ossified endoskeleton is still poorly understood. Here we present the first palaeohistological and skeletochronological study of Miguashaia bureaui from the Upper Devonian of Canada, pivotal for exploring the palaeobiology and early evolution of osteogenesis in coelacanths. Cross sections of the caudal fin bones show that the cortex is made of layers of primary bone separated by lines of arrested growth, indicative of a cyclical growth. The medullary cavity displays remnants of calcified cartilage associated with bony trabeculae, characteristic of endochondral ossification. A skeletochronological analysis indicates that rapid growth during a short juvenile period was followed by slower growth in adulthood. Our new analysis highlights the life history and palaeoecology of Miguashaia bureaui and reveals that, despite differences in size and habitat, the poor endoskeletal ossification known in the extant Latimeria chalumnae can be traced back at least 375 million years ago.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Mondéjar Fernández
- Division Paleontology and Historical Geology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany,Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie—Paris (CR2P), UMR 7207, MNHN, CNRS, SU, Département Origines et Évolution, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - François J. Meunier
- Laboratoire de Biologie des Organismes et des Écosystèmes Aquatiques (BOREA), UMR 8067, MNHN, CNRS, SU, Département Adaptations du Vivant, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Richard Cloutier
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Canada
| | - Gaël Clément
- Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie—Paris (CR2P), UMR 7207, MNHN, CNRS, SU, Département Origines et Évolution, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Michel Laurin
- Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie—Paris (CR2P), UMR 7207, MNHN, CNRS, SU, Département Origines et Évolution, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Cavin L, Toriño P, Van Vranken N, Carter B, Polcyn MJ, Winkler D. The first late cretaceous mawsoniid coelacanth (Sarcopterygii: Actinistia) from North America: Evidence of a lineage of extinct 'living fossils'. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0259292. [PMID: 34762682 PMCID: PMC8584698 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0259292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Today, the only living genus of coelacanth, Latimeria is represented by two species along the eastern coast of Africa and in Indonesia. This sarcopterygian fish is nicknamed a "living fossil", in particular because of its slow evolution. The large geographical distribution of Latimeria may be a reason for the great resilience to extinction of this lineage, but the lack of fossil records for this genus prevents us from testing this hypothesis. Here we describe isolated bones (right angular, incomplete basisphenoid, fragments of parasphenoid and pterygoid) found in the Cenomanian Woodbine Formation in northeast Texas that are referred to the mawsoniid coelacanth Mawsonia sp. In order to assess the impact of this discovery on the alleged characteristic of "living fossils" in general and of coelacanths in particular: 1) we compared the average time duration of genera of ray-finned fish and coelacanth in the fossil record; 2) we compared the biogeographic signal from Mawsonia with the signal from the rest of the vertebrate assemblage of the Woodbine formation; and 3) we compared these life traits with those of Latimeria. The stratigraphical range of Mawsonia is at least 50 million years. Since Mawsonia was a fresh, brackish water fish with probably a low ability to cross large sea barriers and because most of the continental components of the Woodbine Fm vertebrate assemblage exhibit Laurasian affinities, it is proposed that the Mawsonia's occurrence in North America is more likely the result of a vicariant event linked to the break-up of Pangea rather than the result of a dispersal from Gondwana. The link between a wide geographic distribution and the resilience to extinction demonstrated here for Mawsonia is a clue that a similar situation existed for Latimeria, which allowed this genus to live for tens of millions of years.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lionel Cavin
- Department of Geology and Palaeontology, Natural History Museum, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Pablo Toriño
- Instituto de Ciencias Geológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, UdelaR, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Nathan Van Vranken
- STEM Division, Potomac State College, Keyser, West Virginia, United States of America
| | - Bradley Carter
- 4 Independent Researcher, 420 Kennedy Drive, Crowley, TX, United States of America
| | - Michael J. Polcyn
- Huffington Department of Earth Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, United States of America
| | - Dale Winkler
- Huffington Department of Earth Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Choat JH. Marine biology: Ageing a 'living fossil'. Curr Biol 2021; 31:R998-R1000. [PMID: 34428421 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
A novel approach to determine the lifespan of an iconic fish, the coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae, reveals that they can live up to a hundred years. This re-focuses attention on the need to measure life-history traits that determine the demographics of fish populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J Howard Choat
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|