Journal Article10.1038/NATURE05243
An exceptional Devonian fish from Australia sheds light on tetrapod origins
John A. Long,John A. Long,John A. Long,Gavin C. Young,Timothy Holland,Timothy Holland,Timothy Senden,Erich M. G. Fitzgerald,Erich M. G. Fitzgerald +8 more
113
TL;DR: New observations from the most complete, acid-prepared Devonian tetrapodomorph fish yet discovered, Gogonasus are presented, which was previously placed just crownward of Kenichthys and rhizodontids, the most primitive taxa on the tetrapOD lineage.
read more
Abstract: The evolutionary transition from water to land exerts a continuing fascination, heightened by recent discoveries of transitional fossils in Canada and the reinterpretation as tetrapods (or near-tetrapods) of fossils once classified as fishes. But signs of land life are detectable even further back. A spectacularly preserved 380-million-year old fossil of the fish Gogonasus from the Devonian of Australia is fish-like in many respects, yet features of its ear and limbs are unexpectedly advanced. The transition from fishes to tetrapods was one of the most dramatic events in the evolution of vertebrates, but many pivotal fossils are incomplete, resulting in gaps in the data that are used for phylogenetic reconstruction. Here we present new observations from the most complete, acid-prepared Devonian tetrapodomorph fish yet discovered, Gogonasus1,2, which was previously placed just crownward of Kenichthys and rhizodontids3,4, the most primitive taxa on the tetrapod lineage. Unexpectedly, Gogonasus shows a mosaic of plesiomorphic and derived tetrapod-like features. Whereas the braincase and dermal cranial skeleton exhibit generalized morphologies with respect to Eusthenopteron5 or Panderichthys6, taxa that are traditionally considered to be phyletically close to tetrapods7,8, the presence of a deeply invaginated, wide spiracle, advanced internal spiracular architecture and near-horizontal hyomandibula are specialized features that are absent from Eusthenopteron9. Furthermore, the pectoral fin skeleton of Gogonasus shares several features with that of Tiktaalik, the most tetrapod-like fish10. A new phylogenetic analysis places Gogonasus crownward of Eusthenopteron as the sister taxon to the Elpistostegalia. Aspects of the basic tetrapod limb skeleton and middle ear architecture can now be traced further back within the tetrapodomorph radiation.
read more
Chat with Paper
AI Agents for this Paper
Find similar papers on Google Scholar, PubMed and Arxiv
Write a critical review of this paper
Analyze citations of this paper to find unaddressed research gaps
Citations
Tristichopterids (Sarcopterygii, Tetrapodomorpha) from the Upper Devonian Tetrapod-Bearing Locality of Strud (Belgium, Upper Famennian), with Phylogenetic and Paleobiogeographic Considerations
Sébastien Olive,Sébastien Olive,Yann Leroy,Yann Leroy,Edward B. Daeschler,Jason P. Downs,Jason P. Downs,Sandrine Ladevèze,Gaël Clément +8 more
TL;DR: In this article, the tristichopterids cf. Langlieria socqueti and cf. Eusthenodon wangsjoi and other unassignable tetrapodomorph remains from the upper Famennian locality of Strud, Belgi...
New information on the giant Devonian lobe-finned fish Edenopteron from the New South Wales south coast
TL;DR: Edenopteron, with a lower jaw some 48 cm long and total length perhaps exceeding 3 m, is the largest Devonian lobe-fin known from semi-articulated remains as discussed by the authors.
9
Morphology, Taxonomy and Interrelationships of Tristichopterid Fishes (Sarcopterygii, Tetrapodomorpha)
Daniel Snitting
- 01 Jan 2008
TL;DR: Tristichopterids (Sarcopterygii, Tetrapodomorpha) form a monophyletic group of exclusively Devonian fishes and new material is described.
Evolutionary parallelisms of pectoral and pelvic network-anatomy from fins to limbs
Borja Esteve-Altava,Stephanie E. Pierce,Julia Molnar,Peter Johnston,Rui Diogo,John R. Hutchinson +5 more
TL;DR: The evolution of well-articulated appendicular skeletons across the fins-to-limbs transition is traced, using a network-based approach and phylogenetic tools to quantify and compare topological features of skeletal anatomy of fins and limbs.
8
•Dissertation
The Evolution of Speed: an empirical and comparative analysis of drag-reducing scales in early fishes
Tom Fletcher
- 01 Sep 2015
TL;DR: It is shown that riblet spacing reflects swimming speed in modern sharks, and that drag-reduction morphology evolved in the denticles of the earliest vertebrates, including the oldest examples known (~460 million years ago).
8
References
A Devonian tetrapod-like fish and the evolution of the tetrapod body plan
TL;DR: 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 is reported.
The pectoral fin of Tiktaalik roseae and the origin of the tetrapod limb
TL;DR: The pectoral appendage of a member of the sister group of tetrapods, Tiktaalik roseae, is described, which is morphologically and functionally transitional between a fin and a limb.
349
•Book
Origins of the higher groups of tetrapods : controversy and consensus
Hans-Peter Schultze,Linda Trueb +1 more
- 01 Jan 1991
TL;DR: The origins of tetrapods have been extensively studied in the field of vertebrate paleontology, e.g., in this paper, where an edited volume explores the various views on the origins of the tetrapod groups.
306
Elginerpeton pancheni and the earliest tetrapod clade
TL;DR: Elginerpeton, described here on the basis of cranial remains from Scat Craig, is, together with the fragmentary genus Obruchevichthys from the Upper Frasnian of Latvia and Russia, the oldest known stem tetrapod.
107