Phylogeny of Ammodytidae (Teleostei) with a study of their scales.
Item
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Title
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Phylogeny of Ammodytidae (Teleostei) with a study of their scales.
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Identifier
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AAI9510705
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identifier
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9510705
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Creator
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Radding, Joel Martin.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Gareth Nelson
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Date
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1994
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Biology, Zoology | Biology, Anatomy
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Abstract
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Newly discovered characters shared by Trichonotidae and Ammodytidae, including highly elongate anterodorsal process on suboperculum, flattened supraoccipital with reduced crest and posterior scale field radial ridges ending as blunt spines on margin, provide evidence of their affinity. Uranoscopids and trachinids were previously proposed as the sister to Ammodytidae but these shared specializations move Trichonotidae into a polytomous relationship with Uranoscopidae plus Trachinidae, as the outgroup to Ammodytidae. The most plesiomorphic ammodytids are Embolichthys mitsukurii and Bleekeria viridianguilla, characterized by primitive lepidologies and dorsal fin anatomy but their monophyly is supported by synapomorphies describing number and morphology of extra labial cartilages and ligaments. Consequently, monophyly of Embolichthys or Bleekeria is not supported by data because Bleekeria viridianguilla appears more closely related to Embolichthys mitsukurii than E. sarisa is to E. mitsukurii. Embolichthys sarisa, characterized by scales with membranous cteni, is sister species to Bleekeria (minus B. viridianguilla), Hyperoplus, Gymnammodytes, and Ammodytes. All those taxa are united by absence of teeth on premaxillary and dentary. Monophyly of Bleekeria (minus B. viridianguilla) is supported by a unique lepidology in which ventral lateral field overlaps the posterior field and this abbreviated Bleekeria becomes sistergroup to rest of Ammodytidae. Monophyly of Ammodytes, Gymnammodytes and Hyperoplus is substantiated by ventrolateral skin folds, anterior field radial ridges, modified caudal lateral line scale with perforated groove, smooth nasal organ, neural and hemal spines blade-like and wide, loss of premaxillo-rostral ligament and accessory labial cartilages. Ammodytes appears paraphyletic due primarily to plesiomorphic scale patterns on body of Ammodytes tobianus which becomes sister species to Gymnammodytes, Hyperoplus and residue of Ammodytes. That clade is not resolved by strong synapomorphies since monophyly of Hyperoplus - Gymnammodytes is supported by only one dubious character, round scales. Interrelationships of other Ammodytes species is partially resolved by shape of ultimate modified caudal lateral line scale. A new character coding scheme for scales is devised which divides scales into units of variation corresponding to their fields and within this context the phylogenetic significance of four field scales and greater than five anterior field scalelets are discussed.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
