Work

Unique pelvic fin in a tetrapod-like fossil fish, and the evolution of limb patterning

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: Significance The fossil fish Rhizodus hibberti , a member of the tetrapod stem group, shows a unique skeletal pattern in the pelvic fin. Rather than the highly conserved one-to-two pattern of a femur, tibia, and fibula (seen in all known tetrapods, including the extinct, fishlike members of the group), the fin of Rhizodus comprises a femur articulating distally with three bones, each with a distinct morphology. This reveals an early stage in the evolution of limb development, in which the processes patterning the proximal parts of the embryonic fin/limb (the stylopod and zeugopod) were not constrained in the way seen in living tetrapods and could produce more varied skeletal patterns in the adult.

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1810845115

Authors: Jonathan E. Jeffery, Glenn W. Storrs, Timothy Holland, Clifford J. Tabin, Per E. Ahlberg

Institutions: University of Bristol, Cincinnati Museum Center, Harvard University, Uppsala University

Language: English

Topic: Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology

Subfield: Paleontology

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,723

Funders: National Science Foundation, Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development