Morphological variations in the dorsal fin finlets of extant polypterids raise questions about their taxonomical validity
Fossil polypterids are mainly represented by disarticulated material, most of them pinnules. However, there is no study that proves the taxonomical validity of these structures. Here we describe the pinnules of four species of extant polypterids and report for the first time intraindividual variatio...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
PeerJ Inc.
2018-06-01
|
| Series: | PeerJ |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/5083.pdf |
| id |
doaj-1e5567df41c34c56b8a96fa5cd68064d |
|---|---|
| record_format |
Article |
| spelling |
doaj-1e5567df41c34c56b8a96fa5cd68064d2020-11-25T00:37:54ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592018-06-016e508310.7717/peerj.5083Morphological variations in the dorsal fin finlets of extant polypterids raise questions about their taxonomical validityMarcos Vinícius Coelho0Camila Cupello1Paulo M. Brito2Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilDepartamento de Zoologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilDepartamento de Zoologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilFossil polypterids are mainly represented by disarticulated material, most of them pinnules. However, there is no study that proves the taxonomical validity of these structures. Here we describe the pinnules of four species of extant polypterids and report for the first time intraindividual variations in the pinnules according to their position in the dorsal fin. Nevertheless, when comparing two different specimens of one species there is little or no interindividual variation, suggesting that pinnule morphology may have taxonomical validity. As the fossil polypterid record is based mainly on the articular head of the pinnules, we suggest caution when describing new taxa, especially if different fragments corresponding to specific positions in the dorsal fin occur in the same locality.https://peerj.com/articles/5083.pdfPinnulesPolypteriformsMorphological variationTaxonomy |
| collection |
DOAJ |
| language |
English |
| format |
Article |
| sources |
DOAJ |
| author |
Marcos Vinícius Coelho Camila Cupello Paulo M. Brito |
| spellingShingle |
Marcos Vinícius Coelho Camila Cupello Paulo M. Brito Morphological variations in the dorsal fin finlets of extant polypterids raise questions about their taxonomical validity PeerJ Pinnules Polypteriforms Morphological variation Taxonomy |
| author_facet |
Marcos Vinícius Coelho Camila Cupello Paulo M. Brito |
| author_sort |
Marcos Vinícius Coelho |
| title |
Morphological variations in the dorsal fin finlets of extant polypterids raise questions about their taxonomical validity |
| title_short |
Morphological variations in the dorsal fin finlets of extant polypterids raise questions about their taxonomical validity |
| title_full |
Morphological variations in the dorsal fin finlets of extant polypterids raise questions about their taxonomical validity |
| title_fullStr |
Morphological variations in the dorsal fin finlets of extant polypterids raise questions about their taxonomical validity |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Morphological variations in the dorsal fin finlets of extant polypterids raise questions about their taxonomical validity |
| title_sort |
morphological variations in the dorsal fin finlets of extant polypterids raise questions about their taxonomical validity |
| publisher |
PeerJ Inc. |
| series |
PeerJ |
| issn |
2167-8359 |
| publishDate |
2018-06-01 |
| description |
Fossil polypterids are mainly represented by disarticulated material, most of them pinnules. However, there is no study that proves the taxonomical validity of these structures. Here we describe the pinnules of four species of extant polypterids and report for the first time intraindividual variations in the pinnules according to their position in the dorsal fin. Nevertheless, when comparing two different specimens of one species there is little or no interindividual variation, suggesting that pinnule morphology may have taxonomical validity. As the fossil polypterid record is based mainly on the articular head of the pinnules, we suggest caution when describing new taxa, especially if different fragments corresponding to specific positions in the dorsal fin occur in the same locality. |
| topic |
Pinnules Polypteriforms Morphological variation Taxonomy |
| url |
https://peerj.com/articles/5083.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv |
AT marcosviniciuscoelho morphologicalvariationsinthedorsalfinfinletsofextantpolypteridsraisequestionsabouttheirtaxonomicalvalidity AT camilacupello morphologicalvariationsinthedorsalfinfinletsofextantpolypteridsraisequestionsabouttheirtaxonomicalvalidity AT paulombrito morphologicalvariationsinthedorsalfinfinletsofextantpolypteridsraisequestionsabouttheirtaxonomicalvalidity |
| _version_ |
1725299115137433600 |