the origin of higher clades

[...]... play a central role for a proper understanding of the higher- level phylogeny and evolution of one of the most diverse osteichthyan groups, the Teleostei, and since the testing of the monophyly of the otophysan, ostariophysan and otocephalan fishes is one of the aims of the present work, these five fossil taxa were included in the analysis The inclusion of these fossils in an explicit cladistic analysis... particularly in those concerning the relationships of higher clades One of our aims here is thus to discuss whether or not the results of the cladistic analysis of the present work, which is precisely focused on the higher- level phylogeny of a major group such as the osteichthyans, support such a view The inclusion of muscular characters in a study such as the present one may also pave the way for a more detailed,... reflection One of the reasons for choosing these three regions of the body was that many structures of the anterior part of the body of the taxa analyzed are, in reality, integrated in a major structural complex (see, e.g., Diogo, 2004a) The study of the muscles, bones, ligaments and cartilage of these regions thus allows us to make a broader, more integrative analysis on the whole anterior region of the body,... works on the interrelationships among the various subunits of these two groups These results can also help to clarify the origin and homologies of certain structures found in the members of these groups, for example, the peculiar tongue muscles found in most tetrapods One of the main goals of the book is to provide a new insight into the homologies and evolution of certain key osteological and myological... appearing as the sister-group of Otocephala + Euteleostei (Fig 2) Within the Euteleostei, the Esociformes are placed closely related to the Neoteleostei, although many authors consider the esociforms as part of the “Protacanthopterygii” (see below) Other fishes usually included in the “Protacanthopterygii” are the Alepocephaloidea, the Argentinoidea, the Salmoniformes, the Osmeroidea, and the Galaxioidea... lepisosteids of the genera Lepisosteus and Atractosteus, that is, the members of the three extant genera of an eventual clade Halecomorphi + Ginglymodi? Together with what was mentioned above about the controversies regarding the monophyly/non-monophyly of the Elopomorpha, the Otocephala, and the “Protacanthopterygii”, these are just a few examples to illustrate that, in fact, despite the progress... the trees obtained in the cladistic analysis of the present work If  the phylogenetic hypothesis of Daeschler et al (2006), Shubin et al (2006), and other authors is supported, these two fossils may help to partly cover the gap between extant tetrapod and non-tetrapod osteichthyans Concerning the 73 extant taxa included in the cladistic analysis, Latimeria and Amia were selected because they are the. .. extant groups such as the actinopterygian neoteleosts and the sarcopterygian tetrapods As explained above, this cladistic analysis does include some representatives of these two groups, but with the main aim of searching for the higher- level relationships between these groups and other major osteichthyan clades A detailed morphological cladistic analysis of the relationships among the numerous teleostean... to the Ginglymodi (including the Lepisosteidae) than to the Teleostei Such a view has also been supported by molecular studies by Inoue et al (2003) and Kikugawa et al (2004) Thus, another fundamental question concerning one of these two highly diverse osteichthyan groups remains disputed: which are the closest living relatives of teleosts, the amiids of the genus Amia, or both these fishes and the. .. between the major extant teleostean groups, modified from Springer and Johnson (2004); the “protacanthopterygian” groups shown in the tree correspond to those of Ishiguro et al (2003) (for more details, see text) The other trichotomy appearing in that cladogram concerns one of the most discussed topics in osteichthyan phylogeny: that concerning the identity of the closest living relatives of the Tetrapoda . all other enquiries) Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Diogo, Rui The origin of higher clades: osteology, myology, phylogeny, and evolution of bony fishes and the rise of tetrapods/Rui. class="bi x0 y0 w0 h0" alt="" The Origin of Higher Clades Osteology, Myology, Phylogeny and Evolution of Bony Fishes and the Rise of Tetrapods MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF SOIL CONSERVATION AND WATERSHED. Diogo Department of Anthropology The George Washington University Washington, DC USA Science Publishers Enfield (NH) Jersey Plymouth The Origin of Higher Clades Osteology, Myology, Phylogeny and Evolution of Bony