Autor: |
Clement, Alice M., Cloutier, Richard, Lee, Michael S. Y., King, Benedict, Vanhaesebroucke, Olivia, Bradshaw, Corey J. A., Dutel, Hugo, Trinajstic, Kate, Long, John A. |
Předmět: |
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Zdroj: |
Nature Communications; 9/12/2024, Vol. 15 Issue 1, p1-13, 13p |
Abstrakt: |
The living coelacanth Latimeria (Sarcopterygii: Actinistia) is an iconic, so-called 'living fossil' within one of the most apparently morphologically conservative vertebrate groups. We describe a new, 3-D preserved coelacanth from the Late Devonian Gogo Formation in Western Australia. We assemble a comprehensive analysis of the group to assess the phylogeny, evolutionary rates, and morphological disparity of all coelacanths. We reveal a major shift in morphological disparity between Devonian and post-Devonian coelacanths. The newly described fossil fish fills a critical transitional stage in coelacanth disparity and evolution. Since the mid-Cretaceous, discrete character changes (representing major morphological innovations) have essentially ceased, while meristic and continuous characters have continued to evolve within coelacanths. Considering a range of putative environmental drivers, tectonic activity best explains variation in the rates of coelacanth evolution. Coelacanths are known for their conservative morphology. Here, the authors describe a 380 million year-old coelacanth fossil from the Gogo Formation (Western Australia) with morphology representative of a key transition where coelacanth morphology disparity shifts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
Databáze: |
Complementary Index |
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