A high latitude Gondwanan species of the Late Devonian tristichopterid Hyneria (Osteichthyes: Sarcopterygii)

We describe the largest bony fish in the Late Devonian (late Famennian) fossil assemblage from Waterloo Farm near Makhanda/Grahamstown, South Africa. It is a giant member of the extinct clade Tristichopteridae (Sarcopterygii: Tetrapodomorpha) and most closely resembles Hyneria lindae from the late Famennian Catskill Formation of Pennsylvania, USA. Notwithstanding the overall similarity, it can be distinguished from H. lindae on a number of morphological points and is accordingly described as a new species, H. udlezinye sp. nov. The preserved material comprises most of the dermal skull, lower jaw, gill cover and shoulder girdle. The cranial endoskeleton appears to have been unossified and is not preserved, apart from a fragment of the hyoid arch adhering to a subopercular, but the postcranial endoskeleton is represented by an ulnare, some semi-articulated neural spines, and the basal plate of a median fin. The discovery of H. udlezinye shows that Hyneria is a cosmopolitan genus extending into the high latitudes of Gondwana, not a Euramerican endemic. It supports the contention that the derived clade of giant tristichopterids, which alongside Hyneria includes such genera as Eusthenodon, Edenopteron and Mandageria, originated in Gondwana.

A new elpistostegalian from the Late Devonian of the Canadian Arctic

A fundamental gap in the study of the origin of limbed vertebrates lies in understanding the morphological and functional diversity of their closest relatives. Whereas analyses of the elpistostegalians Panderichthys rhombolepis, Tiktaalik roseae and Elpistostege watsoni have revealed a sequence of changes in locomotor, feeding and respiratory structures during the transition^1–9, an isolated bone, a putative humerus, has controversially hinted at a wider range in form and function than now recognized^10–14. Here we report the discovery of a new elpistostegalian from the Late Devonian period of the Canadian Arctic that shows surprising disparity in the group. The specimen includes partial upper and lower jaws, pharyngeal elements, a pectoral fin and scalation. This new genus is phylogenetically proximate to T. roseae and E. watsoni but evinces notable differences from both taxa and, indeed, other described tetrapodomorphs. Lacking processes, joint orientations and muscle scars indicative of appendage-based support on a hard substrate¹³, its pectoral fin shows specializations for swimming that are unlike those known from other sarcopterygians. This unexpected morphological and functional diversity represents a previously hidden ecological expansion, a secondary return to open water, near the origin of limbed vertebrates.

A new elpistostegalian from the Late Devonian period has been discovered that shows disparity in the group and represents a previously hidden ecological expansion, a secondary return to open water, near the origin of limbed vertebrates.

Morphometric analysis of lungfish endocasts elucidates early dipnoan palaeoneurological evolution

The lobe-finned fish, lungfish (Dipnoi, Sarcoptergii), have persisted for ~400 million years from the Devonian Period to present day. The evolution of their dermal skull and dentition is relatively well understood, but this is not the case for the central nervous system. While the brain has poor preservation potential and is not currently known in any fossil lungfish, substantial indirect information about it and associated structures (e.g. labyrinths) can be obtained from the cranial endocast. However, before the recent development of X-ray tomography as a palaeontological tool, these endocasts could not be studied non-destructively, and few detailed studies were undertaken. Here, we describe and illustrate the endocasts of six Palaeozoic lungfish from tomographic scans. We combine these with six previously described digital lungfish endocasts (4 fossil and 2 recent taxa) into a 12-taxon dataset for multivariate morphometric analysis using 17 variables. We find that the olfactory region is more highly plastic than the hindbrain, and undergoes significant elongation in several taxa. Further, while the semicircular canals covary as an integrated module, the utriculus and sacculus vary independently of each other. Functional interpretation suggests that olfaction has remained a dominant sense throughout lungfish evolution, and changes in the labyrinth may potentially reflect a change from nektonic to near-shore environmental niches. Phylogenetic implications show that endocranial form fails to support monophyly of the 'chirodipterids'. Those with elongated crania similarly fail to form a distinct clade, suggesting these two paraphyletic groups have converged towards either head elongation or truncation driven by non-phylogenetic constraints.

The rapid evolution of lungfish durophagy

Innovations relating to the consumption of hard prey are implicated in ecological shifts in marine ecosystems as early as the mid-Paleozoic. Lungfishes represent the first and longest-ranging lineage of durophagous vertebrates, but how and when the various feeding specializations of this group arose remain unclear. Two exceptionally preserved fossils of the Early Devonian lobe-finned fish Youngolepis reveal the origin of the specialized lungfish feeding mechanism. Youngolepis has a radically restructured palate, reorienting jaw muscles for optimal force transition, coupled with radiating entopterygoid tooth rows like those of lungfish toothplates. This triturating surface occurs in conjunction with marginal dentition and blunt coronoid fangs, suggesting a role in crushing rather than piercing prey. Bayesian tip-dating analyses incorporating these morphological data indicate that the complete suite of lungfish feeding specializations may have arisen in as little as 7 million years, representing one of the most striking episodes of innovation during the initial evolutionary radiations of bony fishes.

It is unclear how Lungfishes evolved durophagy, the consumption of hard prey, despite being the longest lineage of vertebrates with this feeding mechanism. Here, the authors describe exceptionally preserved fossils of Youngolepis from the Early Devonian, showing early adaptations to durophagy.

Earliest migratory cephalic NC cells are potent to differentiate into dental ectomesenchyme of the two lungfish dentitions: tetrapodomorph ancestral condition of unconstrained capability of mesencephalic NC cells to form oral teeth

Reciprocal interactions between epithelial and neural crest-derived mesenchymal cells have been recognized in the evolutionary modulation of tetrapod odontodes, skeletal structures that include the teeth and tooth-integrated basal tissue. Using cell-tracking experiments, it has been demonstrated that mandibular neural crest cells, labelled during migration, extensively populate dental papillae of all tooth phenotypes of the lobe-finned fish, the Australian lungfish (Neoceratodus forsteri). Here, I report on an extension of this experimental study that earliest migrating NC cells are able to differentiate into odontogenic ectomesenchyme. Using vital dye cell-tracking to mark the mesencephalic neural crest prior to migration, I have found that the corresponding population of earliest migratory cells selectively relocated to dental papillae of both temporary and permanent dentitions of Neoceratodus. I noticed a gradient in distribution of the labelled cells which populated posterior teeth, pterygoid and prearticular (including associated trabecular and Meckelian cartilages; major relocation) much more densely than those in anterior marginal positions, temporary and vomeral permanent teeth (minor relocation). Contrary to mice and zebrafish, the odontogenic potency of mesencephalic neural crest cells is already programmed at the onset of the migration event in lungfish. This may imply that the morphogenic potential of mesencephalic neural crest cells to form teeth has been heterochronically shifted and constrained to later migratory populations of neural crest cells during the developmental evolution of derived tetrapods, or/and arrested in their expression in the oral development of some modern osteichthyans.

A Bayesian approach to dynamic homology of morphological characters and the ancestral phenotype of jawed vertebrates

Phylogenetic analysis of morphological data proceeds from a fixed set of primary homology statements, the character-by-taxon matrix. However, there are cases where multiple conflicting homology statements can be justified from comparative anatomy. The upper jaw bones of placoderms have traditionally been considered homologous to the palatal vomer-dermopalatine series of osteichthyans. The discovery of 'maxillate' placoderms led to the alternative hypothesis that 'core' placoderm jaw bones are premaxillae and maxillae lacking external (facial) laminae. We introduce a BEAST2 package for simultaneous inference of homology and phylogeny, and find strong evidence for the latter hypothesis. Phenetic analysis of reconstructed ancestors suggests that maxillate placoderms are the most plesiomorphic known gnathostomes, and the shared cranial architecture of arthrodire placoderms, maxillate placoderms and osteichthyans is inherited. We suggest that the gnathostome ancestor possessed maxillae and premaxillae with facial and palatal laminae, and that these bones underwent divergent evolutionary trajectories in placoderms and osteichthyans.

Development and growth of the pelvic fin in the extant coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae

The ontogeny of the paired appendages has been extensively studied in lungfishes and tetrapods, but remains poorly known in coelacanths. Recent work has shed light on the anatomy and development of the pectoral fin in Latimeria chalumnae. Yet, information on the development of the pelvic fin and girdle is still lacking. Here, we described the development of the pelvic fin and girdle in Latimeria chalumnae based on 3D reconstructions generated from conventional and X-ray synchrotron microtomography, as well as MRI acquisitions. As in other jawed vertebrates, the development of the pelvic fin occurs later than that of the pectoral fin in Latimeria. Many elements of the endoskeleton are not yet formed at the earliest stage sampled. The four mesomeres are already formed in the fetus, but only the most proximal radial elements (preaxial radial 0-1) are formed and individualized at this stage. We suggest that all the preaxial radial elements in the pelvic and pectoral fin of Latimeria are formed through the fragmentation of the mesomeres. We document the progressive ossification of the pelvic girdle, and the presence of a trabecular system in the adult. This trabecular system likely reinforces the cartilaginous girdle to resist the muscle forces exerted during locomotion. Finally, the presence of a preaxial element in contact with the pelvic girdle from the earliest stage of development onward questions the mono-basal condition of the pelvic fin in Latimeria. However, the particular shape of the mesomeres may explain the presence of this element in contact with the girdle.

A high latitude Devonian lungfish, from the Famennian of South Africa

New fossil lungfish remains comprising two parasphenoids, tooth plates and scales from the Famennian Witpoort Formation of South Africa are described. From the parasphenoid material, which bears similarity to Oervigia and Sagenodus but is nevertheless unique, a new genus, Isityumzi mlomomde gen. et sp. nov. is erected. Tooth plates and scales from the same locality may be conspecific but are not yet assigned until further material becomes available. The tooth plates closely resemble those of some taxa in the Carboniferous genus Ctenodus. The new taxon is significant as only the second Devonian lungfish described from the African continent, and for hailing from the high-latitude (polar) Waterloo Farm environment situated close to 70° south during the Famennian.

Development and growth of the pectoral girdle and fin skeleton in the extant coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae

The monobasal pectoral fins of living coelacanths and lungfishes are homologous to the forelimbs of tetrapods and are thus critical to investigate the origin thereof. However, it remains unclear whether the similarity in the asymmetrical endoskeletal arrangement of the pectoral fins of coelacanths reflects the evolution of the pectoral appendages in sarcopterygians. Here, we describe for the first time the development of the pectoral fin and shoulder girdle in the extant coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae, based on the tomographic acquisition of a growth series. The pectoral girdle and pectoral fin endoskeleton are formed early in development with a radially outward growth of the endoskeletal elements. The visualization of the pectoral girdle during development shows a reorientation of the girdle between the fetus and pup 1 stages, creating a contact between the scapulocoracoids and the clavicles in the ventro-medial region. Moreover, we observed a splitting of the pre- and post-axial cartilaginous plates in respectively pre-axial radials and accessory elements on one hand, and in post-axial accessory elements on the other hand. However, the mechanisms involved in the splitting of the cartilaginous plates appear different from those involved in the formation of radials in actinopterygians. Our results show a proportional reduction of the proximal pre-axial radial of the fin, rendering the external morphology of the fin more lobe-shaped, and a spatial reorganization of elements resulting from the fragmentation of the two cartilaginous plates. Latimeria development hence supports previous interpretations of the asymmetrical pectoral fin skeleton as being plesiomorphic for coelacanths and sarcopterygians.

Tooth replacement in early sarcopterygians

Teeth were an important innovation in vertebrate evolution but basic aspects of early dental evolution remain poorly understood. Teeth differ from other odontode organs, like scales, in their organized, sequential pattern of replacement. However, tooth replacement patterns also vary between the major groups of jawed vertebrates. Although tooth replacement in stem-osteichthyans and extant species has been intensively studied it has been difficult to resolve scenarios for the evolution of osteichthyan tooth replacement because of a dearth of evidence from living and fossil sarcopterygian fishes. Here we provide new anatomical data informing patterns of tooth replacement in the Devonian sarcopterygian fishes Onychodus, Eusthenopteron and Tiktaalik and the living coelacanth Latimeria based on microfocus- and synchrotron radiation-based X-ray microtomography. Early sarcopterygians generated replacement teeth on the jaw surface in a pattern similar to stem-osteichthyans, with damaged teeth resorbed and replacement teeth developed on the surface of the bone. However, resorption grades and development of replacement teeth vary spatially and temporally within the jaw. Particularly in Onychodus, where teeth were also shed through anterior rotation and resorption of bone at the base of the parasymphyseal tooth whorl, with new teeth added posteriorly. As tooth whorls are also present in more stem-osteichthyans, and statodont tooth whorls are present among acanthodians (putative stem-chondrichthyans), rotational replacement of the anterior dentition may be a stem-osteichthyan character. Our results suggest a more complex evolutionary history of tooth replacement.

The cranial endocast of the Upper Devonian dipnoan 'Chirodipterus' australis

One of the first endocasts of a dipnoan (lungfish) to be realised was that of the Upper Devonian taxon Chirodipterus australis. This early interpretation was based on observations of the shape of the cranial cavity alone and was not based on a natural cast or ‘steinkern’ nor from serial sectioning. The validity of this reconstruction is therefore questionable and continued reference to and use of this interpretation in analyses of sarcopterygian cranial evolution runs the risk of propagation of error. Here we present a new detailed anatomical description of the endocast of ‘Chirodipterus’ australis from the Upper Devonian Gogo Formation of Western Australia, known for exceptional 3D preservation which enables fine-scale scrutiny of endocranial anatomy. We show that it exhibits a suite of characters more typical of Lower and Middle Devonian dipnoan taxa. Notably, the small utricular recess is unexpected for a taxon of this age, whereas the ventral expansion of the telencephalon is more typical of more derived taxa. The presence of such ’primitive’ characters in ‘C.’ australis supports its relatively basal position as demonstrated in the most recent phylogenies of Devonian Dipnoi.

The Evolution of the Zygomatic Bone From Agnatha to Tetrapoda

Establishing the homology of the zygomatic or jugal bone and tracing its origin and early evolution represents a complex issue because of large morphological gaps between various groups of vertebrates. Using recent paleontological findings, we discuss the deep homology of the zygomatic or jugal bone in stem gnathostomes (placoderms) and examine its homology and modifications in crown gnathostomes (acanthodians, chondrichthyans and osteichthyans). The discovery of the placoderm Entelognathus from the Silurian of China (∼423 million years ago) established that the large dermal plates in placoderms and osteichthyans are homologous. In Entelognathus, the jugal was joined by a new set of bones (premaxilla, maxilla, and lachrymal), marking the first appearance of the typical vertebrate face found in tetrapods including humans. In non-Entelognathus placoderms, the jugal (homologized with the suborbital plate) occupied most of the cheek region and covered the palatoquadrate laterally. In antiarch placoderms (the most basal jawed vertebrates), the jugal (represented by the ventrally positioned mental plate) functioned as part of the upper jaw. In osteichthyans, the preopercular arose as a novel bone and separated the jugal from the opercular in piscine osteichthyans. A single bone in basal osteichthyans, the preopercular may have divided into two or three elements (the preopercular, the squamosal and/or the quadratojugal) in several later osteichthyan groups. Subsequent modifications of the jugal in the fish-tetrapod transition (its enlargement leading to its contact with the quadratojugal and the separation of the squamosal from the maxilla) brought the vertebrate face to the typical model we see in living tetrapods. Anat Rec, 300:16-29, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Fin modules: an evolutionary perspective on appendage disparity in basal vertebrates

BACKGROUND

Fishes are extremely speciose and also highly disparate in their fin configurations, more specifically in the number of fins present as well as their structure, shape, and size. How they achieved this remarkable disparity is difficult to explain in the absence of any comprehensive overview of the evolutionary history of fish appendages. Fin modularity could provide an explanation for both the observed disparity in fin configurations and the sequential appearance of new fins. Modularity is considered as an important prerequisite for the evolvability of living systems, enabling individual modules to be optimized without interfering with others. Similarities in developmental patterns between some of the fins already suggest that they form developmental modules during ontogeny. At a macroevolutionary scale, these developmental modules could act as evolutionary units of change and contribute to the disparity in fin configurations. This study addresses fin disparity in a phylogenetic perspective, while focusing on the presence/absence and number of each of the median and paired fins.

RESULTS

Patterns of fin morphological disparity were assessed by mapping fin characters on a new phylogenetic supertree of fish orders. Among agnathans, disparity in fin configurations results from the sequential appearance of novel fins forming various combinations. Both median and paired fins would have appeared first as elongated ribbon-like structures, which were the precursors for more constricted appendages. Among chondrichthyans, disparity in fin configurations relates mostly to median fin losses. Among actinopterygians, fin disparity involves fin losses, the addition of novel fins (e.g., the adipose fin), and coordinated duplications of the dorsal and anal fins. Furthermore, some pairs of fins, notably the dorsal/anal and pectoral/pelvic fins, show non-independence in their character distribution, supporting expectations based on developmental and morphological evidence that these fin pairs form evolutionary modules.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that the pectoral/pelvic fins and the dorsal/anal fins form two distinct evolutionary modules, and that the latter is nested within a more inclusive median fins module. Because the modularity hypotheses that we are testing are also supported by developmental and variational data, this constitutes a striking example linking developmental, variational, and evolutionary modules.

A new method for reconstructing brain morphology: applying the brain-neurocranial spatial relationship in an extant lungfish to a fossil endocast

Lungfish first appeared in the geological record over 410 million years ago and are the closest living group of fish to the tetrapods. Palaeoneurological investigations into the group show that unlike numerous other fishes-but more similar to those in tetrapods-lungfish appear to have had a close fit between the brain and the cranial cavity that housed it. As such, researchers can use the endocast of fossil taxa (an internal cast of the cranial cavity) both as a source of morphological data but also to aid in developing functional and phylogenetic implications about the group. Using fossil endocast data from a three-dimensional-preserved Late Devonian lungfish from the Gogo Formation, Rhinodipterus, and the brain-neurocranial relationship in the extant Australian lungfish, Neoceratodus, we herein present the first virtually reconstructed brain of a fossil lungfish. Computed tomographic data and a newly developed 'brain-warping' method are used in conjunction with our own distance map software tool to both analyse and present the data. The brain reconstruction is adequate, but we envisage that its accuracy and wider application in other taxonomic groups will grow with increasing availability of tomographic datasets.

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

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.

Bite force in the extant coelacanth Latimeria: the role of the intracranial joint and the basicranial muscle

The terrestrialization process involved dramatic changes in the cranial anatomy of vertebrates. The braincase, which was initially divided into two portions by the intracranial joint in sarcopterygian fishes, became consolidated into a single unit in tetrapods and lungfishes [1-3]. The coelacanth Latimeria is the only extant vertebrate that retains an intracranial joint, which is associated with a unique paired muscle: the basicranial muscle. The intracranial joint has long been thought to be involved in suction feeding by allowing an extensive elevation of the anterior portion of the skull, followed by its rapid depression driven by the basicranial muscle [4-7]. However, we recently challenged this hypothesis [8, 9], and the role of the basicranial muscle with respect to the intracranial joint thus remains unclear. Using 3D biomechanical modeling, we show here that the basicranial muscle and the intracranial joint are involved in biting force generation. By flexing the anterior portion of the skull at the level of the intracranial joint, the basicranial muscle increases the overall bite force. This likely allows Latimeria to feed on a broad range of preys [10, 11] and coelacanths to colonize a wide range of environments during their evolution [4]. The variation in the morphology of the intracranial joint observed in Devonian lobe-finned fishes would have impacted to various degrees their biting performance and might have permitted feeding specializations despite the stability in their lower jaw morphology [12]. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

The first virtual cranial endocast of a lungfish (sarcopterygii: dipnoi)

Lungfish, or dipnoans, have a history spanning over 400 million years and are the closest living sister taxon to the tetrapods. Most Devonian lungfish had heavily ossified endoskeletons, whereas most Mesozoic and Cenozoic lungfish had largely cartilaginous endoskeletons and are usually known only from isolated tooth plates or disarticulated bone fragments. There is thus a substantial temporal and evolutionary gap in our understanding of lungfish endoskeletal morphology, between the diverse and highly variable Devonian forms on the one hand and the three extant genera on the other. Here we present a virtual cranial endocast of Rhinodipterus kimberleyensis, from the Late Devonian Gogo Formation of Australia, one of the most derived fossil dipnoans with a well-ossified braincase. This endocast, generated from a Computed Microtomography (µCT) scan of the skull, is the first virtual endocast of any lungfish published, and only the third fossil dipnoan endocast to be illustrated in its entirety. Key features include long olfactory canals, a telencephalic cavity with a moderate degree of ventral expansion, large suparaotic cavities, and moderately enlarged utricular recesses. It has numerous similarities to the endocasts of Chirodipterus wildungensis and Griphognathus whitei, and to a lesser degree to 'Chirodipterus' australis and Dipnorhynchus sussmilchi. Among extant lungfish, it consistently resembles Neoceratodus more closely than Lepidosiren and Protopterus. Several trends in the evolution of the brains and labyrinth regions in dipnoans, such as the expansions of the utricular recess and telencephalic regions over time, are identified and discussed.

Redescription and phylogenetic analysis of the mandible of an enigmatic Pennsylvanian (Late Carboniferous) tetrapod from Nova Scotia, and the lability of Meckelian jaw ossification

The lower jaw of an unidentified Pennsylvanian (Late Carboniferous) tetrapod from Nova Scotia – the “Parrsboro jaw”- is redescribed in the light of recent tetrapod discoveries and work on evolution of tetrapod mandibular morphology and placed for the first time in a numerical cladistics analysis. All phylogenetic analyses place the jaw in a crownward polytomy of baphetids, temnospondyls, and embolomeres. Several features resemble baphetids and temnospondyls including dermal ornamentation, absence of coronoid teeth, and presence of coronoid shagreen. Dentary dentition is most similar to Baphetes. An adsymphysial toothplate may not preclude temnospondyl affinity. An apparent large exomeckelian fenestra, with the dorsal foraminal margins formed by an unossified element, echoes the morphology of the stem tetrapod Sigournea and is unusually primitive given the other features of the jaw. The jaw may thus provide an example of an intermediate stage in Meckelian element evolution.

An exceptionally preserved transitional lungfish from the lower permian of Nebraska, USA, and the origin of modern lungfishes

Complete, exceptionally-preserved skulls of the Permian lungfish Persephonichthys chthonica gen. et sp. nov. are described. Persephonichthys chthonica is unique among post-Devonian lungfishes in preserving portions of the neurocranium, permitting description of the braincase of a stem-ceratodontiform for the first time. The completeness of P. chthonica permits robust phylogenetic analysis of the relationships of the extant lungfish lineage within the Devonian lungfish diversification for the first time. New analyses of the relationships of this new species within two published matrices using both maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference robustly place P. chthonica and modern lungfishes within dipterid-grade dipnoans rather than within a clade containing Late Devonian ‘phaneropleurids’ and common Late Paleozoic lungfishes such as Sagenodus. Monophyly of post-Devonian lungfishes is not supported and the Carboniferous-Permian taxon Sagenodus is found to be incidental to the origins of modern lungfishes, suggesting widespread convergence in Late Paleozoic lungfishes. Morphology of the skull, hyoid arch, and pectoral girdle suggests a deviation in feeding mechanics from that of Devonian lungfishes towards the more dynamic gape cycle and more effective buccal pumping seen in modern lungfishes. Similar anatomy observed previously in ‘Rhinodipterus’ kimberyensis likely represents an intermediate state between the strict durophagy observed in most Devonian lungfishes and the more dynamic buccal pump seen in Persephonichthys and modern lungfishes, rather than adaptation to air-breathing exclusively.

The largest Silurian vertebrate and its palaeoecological implications

An apparent absence of Silurian fishes more than half-a-metre in length has been viewed as evidence that gnathostomes were restricted in size and diversity prior to the Devonian. Here we describe the largest pre-Devonian vertebrate (Megamastax amblyodus gen. et sp. nov.), a predatory marine osteichthyan from the Silurian Kuanti Formation (late Ludlow, ~423 million years ago) of Yunnan, China, with an estimated length of about 1 meter. The unusual dentition of the new form suggests a durophagous diet which, combined with its large size, indicates a considerable degree of trophic specialisation among early osteichthyans. The lack of large Silurian vertebrates has recently been used as constraint in palaeoatmospheric modelling, with purported lower oxygen levels imposing a physiological size limit. Regardless of the exact causal relationship between oxygen availability and evolutionary success, this finding refutes the assumption that pre-Emsian vertebrates were restricted to small body sizes.

Lungfish axial muscle function and the vertebrate water to land transition

The role of axial form and function during the vertebrate water to land transition is poorly understood, in part because patterns of axial movement lack morphological correlates. The few studies available from elongate, semi-aquatic vertebrates suggest that moving on land may be powered simply from modifications of generalized swimming axial motor patterns and kinematics. Lungfish are an ideal group to study the role of axial function in terrestrial locomotion as they are the sister taxon to tetrapods and regularly move on land. Here we use electromyography and high-speed video to test whether lungfish moving on land use axial muscles similar to undulatory swimming or demonstrate novelty. We compared terrestrial lungfish data to data from lungfish swimming in different viscosities as well as to salamander locomotion. The terrestrial locomotion of lungfish involved substantial activity in the trunk muscles but almost no tail activity. Unlike other elongate vertebrates, lungfish moved on land with a standing wave pattern of axial muscle activity that closely resembled the pattern observed in terrestrially locomoting salamanders. The similarity in axial motor pattern in salamanders and lungfish suggests that some aspects of neuromuscular control for the axial movements involved in terrestrial locomotion were present before derived appendicular structures.

Scales and dermal skeletal histology of an early bony fish Psarolepis romeri and their bearing on the evolution of rhombic scales and hard tissues

Recent discoveries of early bony fishes from the Silurian and earliest Devonian of South China (e.g. Psarolepis, Achoania, Meemannia, Styloichthys and Guiyu) have been crucial in understanding the origin and early diversification of the osteichthyans (bony fishes and tetrapods). All these early fishes, except Guiyu, have their dermal skeletal surface punctured by relatively large pore openings. However, among these early fishes little is known about scale morphology and dermal skeletal histology. Here we report new data about the scales and dermal skeletal histology of Psarolepis romeri, a taxon with important implications for studying the phylogeny of early gnathostomes and early osteichthyans. Seven subtypes of rhombic scales with similar histological composition and surface sculpture are referred to Psarolepis romeri. They are generally thick and show a faint antero-dorsal process and a broad peg-and-socket structure. In contrast to previously reported rhombic scales of osteichthyans, these scales bear a neck between crown and base as in acanthodian scales. Histologically, the crown is composed of several generations of odontodes and an irregular canal system connecting cylindrical pore cavities. Younger odontodes are deposited on older ones both superpositionally and areally. The bony tissues forming the keel of the scale are shown to be lamellar bone with plywood-like structure, whereas the other parts of the base are composed of pseudo-lamellar bone with parallel collagen fibers. The unique tissue combination in the keel (i.e., extrinsic Sharpey's fibers orthogonal to the intrinsic orthogonal sets of collagen fibers) has rarely been reported in the keel of other rhombic scales. The new data provide insights into the early evolution of rhombic (ganoid and cosmoid) scales in osteichthyans, and add to our knowledge of hard tissues of early vertebrates.

A gigantic sarcopterygian (tetrapodomorph lobe-finned fish) from the upper Devonian of Gondwana (Eden, New South Wales, Australia)

Edenopteron keithcrooki gen. et sp. nov. is described from the Famennian Worange Point Formation; the holotype is amongst the largest tristichopterids and sarcopterygians documented by semi-articulated remains from the Devonian Period. The new taxon has dentary fangs and premaxillary tusks, features assumed to be derived for large Northern Hemisphere tristichopterids (Eusthenodon, Hyneria, Langlieria). It resembles Eusthenodon in ornament, but is distinguished by longer proportions of the parietal compared to the post-parietal shield, and numerous differences in shape and proportions of other bones. Several characters (accessory vomers in the palate, submandibulars overlapping ventral jaw margin, scales ornamented with widely-spaced deep grooves) are recorded only in tristichopterids from East Gondwana (Australia-Antarctica). On this evidence Edenopteron gen. nov. is placed in an endemic Gondwanan subfamily Mandageriinae within the Tristichopteridae; it differs from the nominal genotype Mandageria in its larger size, less pointed skull, shape of the orbits and other skull characters. The hypothesis that tristichopterids evolved in Laurussia and later dispersed into Gondwana, and a derived subgroup of large Late Devonian genera dispersed from Gondwana, is inconsistent with the evidence of the new taxon. Using oldest fossil and most primitive clade criteria the most recent phylogeny resolves South China and Gondwana as areas of origin for all tetrapodomorphs. The immediate outgroup to tristichopterids remains unresolved - either Spodichthys from Greenland as recently proposed, or Marsdenichthys from Gondwana, earlier suggested to be the sister group to all tristichopterids. Both taxa combine two characters that do not co-occur in other tetrapodomorphs (extratemporal bone in the skull; non-cosmoid round scales with an internal boss). Recently both 'primitive' and 'derived' tristichopterids have been discovered in the late Middle Devonian of both hemispheres, implying extensive ghost lineages within the group. Resolving their phylogeny and biogeography will depend on a comprehensive new phylogenetic analysis.

Molecular evidence on the origin of tetrapods and the relationships of the coelacanth

Coelacanths were believed to have gone extinct more than 80 million years ago - until the sensational rediscovery of one surviving member of this leneage, Latimeria chalumanae, in 1938. Since then, plaeontologists and comparative morphologists have argues whether coelacanths or lungfish (two groups of lobe-finned fish) are the living sistergroup of the third extant lineage, the tetrapods. Recent molecular phylogenetic data on this debate tend to favor the hypothesis that lungfish are the closest relatives of land vertebrates. Somewhat surprisingly, the strongest molecular support for this hypothesis stems from mitochondrial rather than nuclear DNA sequences, despite the expectation that the more-slowly evolving nuclear genes should be more appropriate in addressing a phylogenetic issue involving taxonomic groups that diverged around 400 million years ago. This molecular estimate might serve as a framework to test palepntological and physiological innovations and preadaptations that allowed Devanian lobe-finned fish to colonize land.

A marine stem-tetrapod from the Devonian of western North America

The origin of terrestrial vertebrates represents one of the major evolutionary and ecological transformations in the history of life, and the established timing and environment of this transition has recently come under scrutiny. The discovery and description of a well-preserved fossil sarcopterygian (fleshy-limbed vertebrate) from the Middle Devonian of Nevada helps to refine and question aspects of the temporal and anatomical framework that underpins the tetrapod condition. This new taxon, Tinirau clackae, demonstrates that substantial parallelism pervaded the early history of stem-tetrapods, raises additional questions about when digited sarcopterygians first evolved, and further documents that incipient stages of the terrestrial appendicular condition began when sarcopterygians still retained their median fins and occupied aquatic habitats.

Lower jaws, lower tetrapods–a review based on the Devonian genus Acanthostega

The lower jaw of the Devonian tetrapod Acanthostega is described for the first time. Redescriptions are provided for the lower jaws of the elpistostegid Panderichthys, the Devonian tetrapods Elginerpeton, Obruchevichthys, Metaxygnathus, Ventastega and Ichthyostega, and the Carboniferous tetrapods Crassigyrinus, Megalocephalus and Gephyrostegus. The character distri- butions thus revealed differ considerably from previous accounts, particularly in the wide distribution of certain primitive characters. Meckelian ossification in the middle part of the jaw is widespread among Devonian tetrapods, being demonstrably absent only in Acanthostega. Among Carboniferous tetrapods, a tooth-bearing parasymphysial plate is shown to be present in Crassigyrinus and Megalocephalus (having already been demonstrated by other authors in Whatcheeria and Greererpeton). A phylogenetic analysis of 26 early tetrapods including all the aforementioned genera, scored for 51 lower jaw characters, produces at least 2,500 equally parsimonious trees. However, the lack of resolution lies largely in a big top end polychotomy containing anthracosaurs, temnospondyls, seymouriamorphs, microsaurs and a nectridean-amniote clade. Below this polycho- tomy, which may correspond approximately to the tetrapod crown group, there is a well-resolved stem-group containing, in descending order, Megalocephalus, Greererpeton, Crassigyrinus, (jaws associated with) Tulerpeton, Whatcheeria, Acanthostega, Metaxygnathus, Ichthyostega, Ventastega and Metaxygnathus (unresolved), an Elginerpeton-Obruchevichthys clade, and Panderichthys. This conflicts with recently published phylogenies by Coates and Lebedev & Coates, which place Tulerpeton and all post-Devonian tetrapods in the amphibian or amniote branches of the tetrapod crown group.

A new tristichopterid (Osteolepiformes: Sarcopterygii) from the Mandagery Sandstone (Late Devonian, Famennian) near Canowindra, NSW, Australia

A new member of the Tristichopteridae (=Eusthenopteridae), Mandageria fairfaxi gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Late Devonian (Famennian) Mandagery Sandstone outcropping near Canowindra, NSW, Australia. It is represented by several complete or partial heads and bodies, preserved as natural moulds. Mandageria shares derived characters with the Late Famennian tristichopterid Eusthenodon wängsjöi from East Greenland; the pineal plate series is large and kite-shaped and is posterior to the middle of the parietals, the intertemporal does not contact the posterior supraorbital, a posterior process of the premaxilla divides the apical fossa, the anteriormost premaxillary tooth is enlarged, the postorbital is excluded from the orbit by a supraorbital–lacrimal contact, and the coronoids lack marginal teeth except posteriorly. Mandageria fairfaxi differs from Eusthenodon in superficial fusion of the supratemporal, tabular and postparietals, in the lateral extrascapulars being separated by only 2–3 mm in the midline anteriorly, and in having proportionately smaller scales. It also has an elongate supracleithrum, which is probably autapomorphic. The postcranial skeleton is comparable to that of the Frasnian genus Eusthenopteron, but differs in the more posterior position of the median fins, the poorly ossified vertebral column, and the flattened ectepicondyle. Mandageria fairfaxi is the second osteolepiform described from Canowindra (the first, Canowindra grossi) and, other than the now-reinterpreted Marsdenichthys, the first tristichopterid described from Australia.

The postcranial skeleton of the Middle Devonian lungfish Dipterus valenciennesi

The axial skeleton and fin supports of the Middle Devonian lungfish Dipterus are described from a range of specimens from the Orcadian Basin of Scotland. The axial skeleton of the trunk region consists of intercentra, relatively short ribs, and neural arches bearing two rows of supraneural spines; posteriorly, the intercentra are replaced by haemal arches. The notochord seems to have been essentially unconstricted. There may have been two pairs of cranial ribs. In general terms the vertebral column resembles that of Neoceratodus but is more fully ossified. The only known paired fin support of Dipterus is an archipterygial structure resembling those of Neoceratodus, with at least seven mesomeres and jointed pre- and postaxial radials. The pectoral fin is rotated as in modern lungfishes. The median fin supports all consist of basal plates supporting radials. In the posterior dorsal fin support the posterior radials form a branched structure. The heterocercal tail is supported by segmental radials. A new body reconstruction is presented.

The characters possessed by Dipterus offer support for a lungfish–porolepiform sistergroup relationship. All known lungfishes fit into a single cumulative series of postcranial morphologies. The evidence for a paedomorphic trend in lungfish phylogeny is interesting but inconclusive.

43 genes support the lungfish-coelacanth grouping related to the closest living relative of tetrapods with the Bayesian method under the coalescence model

BACKGROUND

Since the discovery of the "living fossil" in 1938, the coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) has generally been considered to be the closest living relative of the land vertebrates, and this is still the prevailing opinion in most general biology textbooks. However, the origin of tetrapods has not been resolved for decades. Three principal hypotheses (lungfish-tetrapod, coelacanth-tetrapod, or lungfish-coelacanth sister group) have been proposed.

FINDINGS

We used the Bayesian method under the coalescence model with the latest published program (Bayesian Estimation of Species Trees, or BEST) to perform a phylogenetic analysis for seven relevant taxa and 43 nuclear protein-coding genes with the jackknife method for taxon sub-sampling. The lungfish-coelacanth sister group was consistently reconstructed with the Bayesian method under the coalescence model in 17 out of 21 taxon sets with a Bayesian posterior probability as high as 99%. Lungfish-tetrapod was only inferred from BCLS and BACLS. Neither coelacanth-tetrapod nor lungfish-coelacanth-tetrapod was recovered out of all 21 taxon sets.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results provide strong evidence in favor of accepting the hypothesis that lungfishes and coelacanths form a monophyletic sister-group that is the closest living relative of tetrapods. This clade was supported by high Bayesian posterior probabilities of the branch (a lungfish-coelacanth clade) and high taxon jackknife supports.

The integumentary skeleton of tetrapods: origin, evolution, and development

Although often overlooked, the integument of many tetrapods is reinforced by a morphologically and structurally diverse assemblage of skeletal elements. These elements are widely understood to be derivatives of the once all-encompassing dermal skeleton of stem-gnathostomes but most details of their evolution and development remain confused and uncertain. Herein we re-evaluate the tetrapod integumentary skeleton by integrating comparative developmental and tissue structure data. Three types of tetrapod integumentary elements are recognized: (1) osteoderms, common to representatives of most major taxonomic lineages; (2) dermal scales, unique to gymnophionans; and (3) the lamina calcarea, an enigmatic tissue found only in some anurans. As presently understood, all are derivatives of the ancestral cosmoid scale and all originate from scleroblastic neural crest cells. Osteoderms are plesiomorphic for tetrapods but demonstrate considerable lineage-specific variability in size, shape, and tissue structure and composition. While metaplastic ossification often plays a role in osteoderm development, it is not the exclusive mode of skeletogenesis. All osteoderms share a common origin within the dermis (at or adjacent to the stratum superficiale) and are composed primarily (but not exclusively) of osseous tissue. These data support the notion that all osteoderms are derivatives of a neural crest-derived osteogenic cell population (with possible matrix contributions from the overlying epidermis) and share a deep homology associated with the skeletogenic competence of the dermis. Gymnophionan dermal scales are structurally similar to the elasmoid scales of most teleosts and are not comparable with osteoderms. Whereas details of development are lacking, it is hypothesized that dermal scales are derivatives of an odontogenic neural crest cell population and that skeletogenesis is comparable with the formation of elasmoid scales. Little is known about the lamina calcarea. It is proposed that this tissue layer is also odontogenic in origin, but clearly further study is necessary. Although not homologous as organs, all elements of the integumentary skeleton share a basic and essential relationship with the integument, connecting them with the ancestral rhombic scale.

Developmental plasticity and disparity in early dipnoan (lungfish) dentitions

Although the lungfish (Dipnoi) belong within the Osteichthyes, their dentitions are radically different from other osteichthyans. Lungfish dentitions also show a uniquely high structural disparity during the early evolution of the group, partly owing to the independent variation of odontogenic and odontoclastic processes that are tightly and stereotypically coordinated in other osteichthyans. We present a phylogenetic analysis of early lungfishes incorporating a novel approach to coding these process characters in preference to the resultant adult dental morphology. The results only partially resolve the interrelationships of Devonian dipnoans, but show that the widely discussed hypothesis of separate tooth-plated, dentine-plated, and denticulated lineages is unlikely to be true. The dipnoan status of Diabolepis is corroborated. Lungfish dentitions seem to have undergone extensive and nonparsimonious evolution during the early history of the group, but much of the resulting disparity can be explained by a modest number of evolutionary steps in the underlying developmental processes, those for dental formation (odontogenic) and those for the remodeling of dentine tissue (odontoclastic). Later in lungfish evolution, this disparity was lost as the group settled to a pattern of dental development that is just as stereotypic as, but completely different from, that of other osteichthyans.

Forebrain evolution in bony fishes

The bony fishes consist of ray-finned fishes and lobe-finned fishes. In ray-finned fishes, the forebrain forms a morphocline from the cladistian bichirs through teleosts regarding the number and increasing complexity of pallial connections. The nuclei of the posterior tubercle parallel this increase in complexity, but the dorsal thalamic nuclei do not. The primary targets of the dorsal thalamic nuclei are the subpallial nuclei, whereas the primary targets of the posterior tubercle are various pallial divisions. Primitively, nucleus medianus is the primary projection nucleus of the posterior tubercle. It is either reduced or lost in teleosts, and its role is taken over by the preglomerular complex, which appears to develop from proliferative zones in both the thalamic alar plate and the posterior tubercle. Although there are numerous hodological data for the pallium in ray-finned fishes, there is no consensus regarding its homologies with other vertebrates. In contrast to ray-finned fishes, very few experimental data exist for lobe-finned fishes. The coelacanth, Latimeria, is extremely rare, and lungfishes are the best source for new experimental data. At this point, there are sufficient data to suggest that lungfishes are characterized by a pallium that is divided into four components, separate dorsal and ventral striatopallidal systems, and an amygdala that consists of anterior, central, lateral, and medial nuclei. The data suggest that telencephalic organization in lungfishes is far more similar to that in amphibians than was previously suspected.

Skull ontogeny: developmental patterns of fishes conserved across major tetrapod clades

In vertebrates, the ontogeny of the bony skull forms a particularly complex part of embryonic development. Although this area used to be restricted to neontology, recent discoveries of fossil ontogenies provide an additional source of data. One of the most detailed ossification sequences is known from Permo-Carboniferous amphibians, the branchiosaurids. These temnospondyls form a near-perfect link between the piscine osteichthyans and the various clades of extant tetrapods, retaining a full complement of dermal bones in the skull. For the first time, the broader evolutionary significance of these event sequences is analyzed, focusing on the identification of sequence heterochronies. A set of 120 event pairs was analyzed by event pair cracking, which helped identify active movers. A cladistic analysis of the event pair data was also carried out, highlighting some shared patterns between widely divergent clades of tetrapods. The analyses revealed an unexpected degree of similarity between the widely divergent taxa. Most interesting is the apparently modular composition of the cranial sequence: five clusters of bones were discovered in each of which the elements form in the same time window: (1) jaw bones, (2) marginal palatal elements, (3) circumorbital bones, (4) skull roof elements, and (5) neurocranial ossifications. In the studied taxa, these "modules" have in most cases been shifted fore and back on the trajectory relative to the Amia sequence, but did not disintegrate. Such "modules" might indicate a high degree of evolutionary limitation (constraint).

A Devonian tetrapod-like fish and the evolution of the tetrapod body plan

The relationship of limbed vertebrates (tetrapods) to lobe-finned fish (sarcopterygians) is well established, but the origin of major tetrapod features has remained obscure for lack of fossils that document the sequence of evolutionary changes. Here we report the discovery of a well-preserved species of fossil sarcopterygian fish from the Late Devonian of Arctic Canada that represents an intermediate between fish with fins and tetrapods with limbs, and provides unique insights into how and in what order important tetrapod characters arose. Although the body scales, fin rays, lower jaw and palate are comparable to those in more primitive sarcopterygians, the new species also has a shortened skull roof, a modified ear region, a mobile neck, a functional wrist joint, and other features that presage tetrapod conditions. The morphological features and geological setting of this new animal are suggestive of life in shallow-water, marginal and subaerial habitats.

Tetrapod-like middle ear architecture in a Devonian fish

Few fossils show the incipient stages of complex morphological transformations. For example, the earliest stages in the remodelling of the spiracular tract and suspensorium (jaw suspension) of osteolepiform fishes into the middle ear of tetrapods have remained elusive. The most primitive known tetrapods show a middle ear architecture that is very different from osteolepiforms such as Eusthenopteron, with little indication of how this transformation took place. Here we present an analysis of tetrapod middle ear origins that is based on a detailed study of Panderichthys, the immediate sister taxon of tetrapods. We show that the spiracular region is radically transformed from osteolepiforms and represents the earliest stages in the origin of the tetrapod middle ear architecture. The posterior palatoquadrate of Panderichthys is completely tetrapod-like and defines a similarly tetrapod-like spiracular tract. The hyomandibula has lost its distal portion, representing a previously unrecognized advance towards a stapes-like morphology. This spiracular specialization suggests that the middle ear of early tetrapods evolved initially as part of a spiracular breathing apparatus.