scholarly journals The relationships of the Euparkeriidae and the rise of Archosauria

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 150674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roland B. Sookias
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Bayesian Analysis ◽  
Bayesian Methods ◽  
Maximum Parsimony ◽  
Large Data ◽  
Data Matrix ◽  
Sister Taxon ◽  
Phylogenetic Position ◽  
First Time ◽  
Limb Morphology

For the first time, a phylogenetic analysis including all putative euparkeriid taxa is conducted, using a large data matrix analysed with maximum parsimony and Bayesian analysis. Using parsimony, the putative euparkeriid Dorosuchus neoetus from Russia is the sister taxon to Archosauria + Phytosauria. Euparkeria capensis is placed one node further from the crown, and forms a euparkeriid clade with the Chinese taxa Halazhaisuchus qiaoensis and ‘ Turfanosuchus shageduensis ’ and the Polish taxon Osmolskina czatkowicensis . Using Bayesian methods, Osmolskina and Halazhaisuchus are sister taxa within Euparkeriidae, in turn sister to ‘ Turfanosuchus shageduensis ’ and then Euparkeria capensis . Dorosuchus is placed in a polytomy with Euparkeriidae and Archosauria + Phytosauria. Although conclusions remain tentative owing to low node support and incompleteness, a broad phylogenetic position close to the base of Archosauria is confirmed for all putative euparkeriids, and the ancestor of Archosauria +Phytosauria is optimized as similar to euparkeriids in its morphology. Ecomorphological characters and traits are optimized onto the maximum parsimony strict consensus phylogeny presented using squared change parsimony. This optimization indicates that the ancestral archosaur was probably similar in many respects to euparkeriids, being relatively small, terrestrial, carnivorous and showing relatively cursorial limb morphology; this Bauplan may have underlain the exceptional radiaton and success of crown Archosauria.

The enigmatic diapsid Acerosodontosaurus piveteaui (Reptilia: Neodiapsida) from the Upper Permian of Madagascar and the paraphyly of “younginiform” reptiles

2009 ◽  
Vol 46 (9) ◽  
pp. 651-661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Constanze Bickelmann ◽  
Johannes Müller ◽  
Robert R. Reisz
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Data Matrix ◽  
Upper Permian ◽  
Phylogenetic Position ◽  
Ancestral Condition ◽  
Phylogenetic Data ◽  
First Time ◽  
Evolutionary Lineages

A restudy of the Upper Permian diapsid Acerosodontosaurus piveteaui from Madagascar indicates that the bone formerly identified as the quadratojugal is a fragment of a rib. This in turn implies that, in contrast to previous studies, the lower temporal arcade must be considered incomplete and derived relative to the ancestral condition. Since the phylogenetic position of Acerosodontosaurus is poorly understood, the taxon was entered into a modified phylogenetic data matrix of diapsid reptiles, and the purported monophyly of “Younginiformes” was tested for the first time by including all potential members of the clade as separate taxa, as well as other taxa from the same deposits. The results of the phylogenetic analysis do not support the monophyly of “younginiform” reptiles. Instead, most taxa cluster unresolved at the base of Neodiapsida, a finding that has important implications for the understanding of early diapsid evolution because it suggests that early neodiapsids represent several distinct evolutionary lineages. Acerosodontosaurus and Hovasaurus do form a clade, a finding consistent with the stratigraphic age and biogeography of these taxa.

scholarly journals First nearly complete skull of Gallotia auaritae (lower-middle Pleistocene, Squamata, Gallotiinae) and a morphological phylogenetic analysis of the genus Gallotia

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Penélope Cruzado-Caballero ◽  
Carolina Castillo Ruiz ◽  
Arnau Bolet ◽  
Juan Ramón Colmenero ◽  
Julio De la Nuez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Cranial Morphology ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Phylogenetic Position ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
La Palma ◽  
Computed Microtomography ◽  
X Ray Computed ◽  
Cranial Osteology ◽  
First Time

Abstract The Canary Islands are an Atlantic archipelago known for its high number of endemic species. Among the most known endemic vertebrate species are the giant lizards of the genus Gallotia. We describe the cranial osteology of the first almost complete and articulated fossil skull of the taxon Gallotia auaritae, recovered from the lower-middle Pleistocene of the La Palma island. In this work, X-ray computed microtomography images were used to perform an exhaustive phylogenetic analysis where most of the extant and fossil species of the genus Gallotia were included for first time. This analysis recovered a monophyletic Gallotia clade with similar topology to that of molecular analyses. The newly described specimen shares some characters with the group formed by G. bravoana, G. intermedia and G. simonyi, G. auaritae, and its position is compatible with a referral to the latter. Our study adds new important data to the poorly known cranial morphology of G. auaritae, and the phylogenetic analysis reveals an unexpected power of resolution to obtain a morphology-based phylogeny for the genus Gallotia, for inferring the phylogenetic position of extinct species and for helping in the identification of fossil specimens.

scholarly journals New data from Monoplacophora and a carefully-curated dataset resolve molluscan relationships

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin M. Kocot ◽  
Albert J. Poustka ◽  
Isabella Stöger ◽  
Kenneth M. Halanych ◽  
Michael Schrödl
Keyword(s):  
Mixture Models ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Housekeeping Genes ◽  
Data Matrix ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Sister Taxon ◽  
Phylogenetic Position ◽  
Morphological Studies ◽  
Homogeneous Models ◽  
Molluscan Evolution

AbstractRelationships among the major lineages of Mollusca have long been debated. Morphological studies have considered the rarely collected Monoplacophora (Tryblidia) to have several plesiomorphic molluscan traits. The phylogenetic position of this group is contentious as morphologists have generally placed this clade as the sister taxon of the rest of Conchifera whereas earlier molecular studies supported a clade of Monoplacophora + Polyplacophora (Serialia) and phylogenomic studies have generally recovered a clade of Monoplacophora + Cephalopoda. Phylogenomic studies have also strongly supported a clade including Gastropoda, Bivalvia, and Scaphopoda, but relationships among these taxa have been inconsistent. In order to resolve conchiferan relationships and improve understanding of early molluscan evolution, we carefully curated a high-quality data matrix and conducted phylogenomic analyses with broad taxon sampling including newly sequenced genomic data from the monoplacophoran Laevipilina antarctica. Whereas a partitioned maximum likelihood (ML) analysis using site-homogeneous models recovered Monoplacophora sister to Cephalopoda with moderate support, both ML and Bayesian inference (BI) analyses using mixture models recovered Monoplacophora sister to all other conchiferans with strong support. A supertree approach also recovered Monoplacophora as the sister taxon of a clade composed of the rest of Conchifera. Gastropoda was recovered as the sister taxon of Scaphopoda in most analyses, which was strongly supported when mixture models were used. A molecular clock based on our BI topology dates diversification of Mollusca to ~546 MYA (+/− 6 MYA) and Conchifera to ~540 MYA (+/− 9 MYA), generally consistent with previous work employing nuclear housekeeping genes. These results provide important resolution of conchiferan mollusc phylogeny and offer new insights into ancestral character states of major mollusc clades.

Phylogeny of the Mycetophiliformia, with proposal of the subfamilies  Heterotrichinae, Ohakuneinae, and Chiletrichinae for the Rangomaramidae (Diptera, Bibionomorpha)

Zootaxa ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 1535 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
DALTON DE SOUZA AMORIM ◽  
EIRIK RINDAL
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
New Species ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
Data Matrix ◽  
Southern Brazil ◽  
The Family ◽  
First Time ◽  
A New Species ◽  
Transformation Series

A phylogenetic analysis of the Mycetophiliformia (= Sciaroidea) was performed to determine the relationships among its families and to place the following genera of uncertain position in the system: Heterotricha, Ohakunea, Colonomyia, Freemanomyia, Rhynchoheterotricha, Chiletricha, Afrotricha, Anisotricha, Kenyatricha, Nepaletricha, Sciarosoma, Sciaropota, Insulatricha, Cabamofa, Rogambara, and Starkomyia. Eratomyia n. gen. is described based on a new species from Ecuador. Colonomyia brasiliana sp.n. and Colonomyia freemani sp.n. are described respectively from southern Brazil and Chile. The male of Cabamofa mira Jaschhof is described for the first time. A total of 64 terminal taxa and 137 transformation series (with 202 characters) were included in the data matrix, with a number of new features from thoracic morphology. Willi Hennig’s 1973 system for the higher Bibionomorpha was adopted using the name Mycetophiliformia for the Sciaroidea. The Mycetophiliformia are monophyletic. The family Cecidomyiidae appears as the sister group of the remaining Mycetophiliformia, followed by the Sciaridae. In the preferred topology, the Rangomaramidae appear as the group sister of a clade consisting of (Ditomyiidae + Bolitophilidae + Diadocidiidae + Keroplatidae) and of (Lygistorrhinidae + Mycetophilidae). The topology within the Rangomaramidae is (Chiletrichinae subfam. n. (Heterotrichinae subfam. n. ((Rangomaraminae + Ohakuneinae subfam. n.))). The Chiletrichinae include the genera Kenyatricha, Rhynchoheterotricha, Insulatricha, Chiletricha, and Eratomyia n. gen. Heterotrichinae and Rangomaraminae are monotypic. The subfamily Ohakuneinae includes Ohakunea, Colonomyia, Cabamofa, and Rogambara. The positions of Freemanomyia, Loicia, Taxicnemis, Sciaropota, Starkomyia, Anisotricha, Nepaletricha, and Sciarosoma are considered. Afrotricha might belong to the Sciaridae. The similarities used by many authors to gather the Sciaridae and Mycetophilidae in a clade are shown to be a combination of plesiomorphies and homoplasies.

scholarly journals And Then There Were Three…: Extreme Regeneration Ability of the Solitary Chordate Polycarpa mytiligera

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tal Gordon ◽  
Arnav Kumar Upadhyay ◽  
Lucia Manni ◽  
Dorothée Huchon ◽  
Noa Shenkar
Keyword(s):  
Cell Proliferation ◽  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Phylogenetic Position ◽  
Asexual Development ◽  
Regeneration Ability ◽  
Single Individual ◽  
Solitary Ascidian ◽  
Regenerative Ability ◽  
First Time ◽  
Complete Regeneration

Extensive regenerative ability is a common trait of animals capable of asexual development. The current study reveals the extraordinary regeneration abilities of the solitary ascidian Polycarpa mytiligera. Dissection of a single individual into separate fragments along two body axes resulted in the complete regeneration of each fragment into an independent, functional individual. The ability of a solitary ascidian, incapable of asexual development, to achieve bidirectional regeneration and fully regenerate all body structures and organs is described here for the first time. Amputation initiated cell proliferation in proximity to the amputation line. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated the close affinity of P. mytiligera to colonial species. This evolutionary proximity suggests the ability for regeneration as an exaptation feature for colonial lifestyle. P. mytiligera’s exceptional regenerative abilities and phylogenetic position highlight its potential to serve as a new comparative system for studies seeking to uncover the evolution of regeneration and coloniality among the chordates.

The phylogenetic position of Coniarthonia and the transfer of Cryptothecia miniata to Myriostigma (Arthoniaceae, lichenized ascomycetes)

Phytotaxa ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 218 (2) ◽  
pp. 128 ◽  
Author(s):  
André Aptroot ◽  
Damien Ertz ◽  
Jeanne Dos Reis Silva ◽  
Martin Grube ◽  
Marcela Eugenia da Silva Cáceres
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Costa Rica ◽  
Tap Water ◽  
Lichen Species ◽  
Phylogenetic Position ◽  
Lichenized Ascomycetes ◽  
Bright Orange ◽  
First Time

Two lichen species with bright orange and pink colours are described. Coniarthonia megaspora from NE Brazil, with relative large, hyaline ascospores that are becoming violet in tap water after release. The phylogenetic position of Coniarthonia is for the first time assessed, based on Brazilian specimens, and Arthonia eos and A. kermesina are combined into this genus. Fertile material of Cryptothecia miniata is for the first time described from Brazil and Costa Rica. A phylogenetic analysis including the epitype places it close to Myriostigma candidum in the recently resurrected genus Myriostigma. The genera Stirtonia and Cryptothecia in their current sense are shown to be both polyphyletic.

scholarly journals Redescription and phylogenetic relationships of Solenodonsaurus janenschi Broili, 1924, from the Late Carboniferous of Nýřany, Czech Republic

Fossil Record ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Danto ◽  
F. Witzmann ◽  
J. Müller
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Late Carboniferous ◽  
Data Matrix ◽  
Phylogenetic Position ◽  
Dorsal Margin ◽  
Mode Of Life ◽  
Posterior Extension ◽  
Characteristic Features ◽  
Ventilation Of The Lungs

The basal tetrapod <i>Solenodonsaurus janenschi</i> Broili, 1924, from Nýřany (Westphalian D, Late Carboniferous), Czech Republic, is redescribed and its phylogenetic position reevaluated. A distinct groove at the base of the maxillary teeth is regarded as an autapomorphic character, which is present in both the large and small specimens. Other characteristic features, which are not unique to <i>S. janenschi</i>, are: an extension of the lacrimal that forms the anteroventral margin of the orbit; a long posterior extension of the jugal; spool-shaped vertebrae, and small, wedge-like intercentra. A phylogenetic analysis based on the data matrix of Ruta, Coates and Quicke suggests that <i>S. janenschi</i> is the sister taxon of the Lepospondyli. Shared characters include the shape of the vertebrae, non-swollen neural arches, and absence of an intertemporal. Although nested within the amniote stem, <i>S. janenschi</i> is not as closely related to basal amniotes as previously suggested. A rather long, slender humerus argues for a predominantly terrestrial mode of life, and the curved, slender ribs, as well as the comparatively small skull, suggest costal ventilation of the lungs similar to that in amniotes, rather than buccal pumping. The morphology of the shallow squamosal embayment in which an ossified dorsal margin is absent, renders the presence of a tympanum unlikely. <br><br> doi:<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mmng.201200003" target="_blank">10.1002/mmng.201200003</a>

scholarly journals The systematic position of the enigmatic thyreophoran dinosaurParanthodon africanus, and the use of basal exemplifiers in phylogenetic analysis

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e4529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas J. Raven ◽  
Susannah C.R. Maidment
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Lower Cretaceous ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Systematic Position ◽  
Type Material ◽  
Sister Taxon ◽  
Phylogenetic Position ◽  
Taxonomic Assignment

The first African dinosaur to be discovered,Paranthodon africanuswas found in 1845 in the Lower Cretaceous of South Africa. Taxonomically assigned to numerous groups since discovery, in 1981 it was described as a stegosaur, a group of armoured ornithischian dinosaurs characterised by bizarre plates and spines extending from the neck to the tail. This assignment has been subsequently accepted. The type material consists of a premaxilla, maxilla, a nasal, and a vertebra, and contains no synapomorphies of Stegosauria. Several features of the maxilla and dentition are reminiscent of Ankylosauria, the sister-taxon to Stegosauria, and the premaxilla appears superficially similar to that of some ornithopods. The vertebral material has never been described, and since the last description of the specimen, there have been numerous discoveries of thyreophoran material potentially pertinent to establishing the taxonomic assignment of the specimen. An investigation of the taxonomic and systematic position ofParanthodonis therefore warranted. This study provides a detailed re-description, including the first description of the vertebra. Numerous phylogenetic analyses demonstrate that the systematic position ofParanthodonis highly labile and subject to change depending on which exemplifier for the clade Stegosauria is used. The results indicate that the use of a basal exemplifier may not result in the correct phylogenetic position of a taxon being recovered if the taxon displays character states more derived than those of the basal exemplifier, and we recommend the use, minimally, of one basal and one derived exemplifier per clade.Paranthodonis most robustly recovered as a stegosaur in our analyses, meaning it is one of the youngest and southernmost stegosaurs.

scholarly journals The systematic position of the enigmatic thyreophoran dinosaur Paranthodon africanus, and the use of basal exemplifiers in phylogenetic analysis

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Raven ◽  
Susannah C. R. Maidment
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Lower Cretaceous ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Systematic Position ◽  
Type Material ◽  
Sister Taxon ◽  
Phylogenetic Position ◽  
Taxonomic Assignment

The first African dinosaur to be discovered, Paranthodon africanus was found in 1845 in the Lower Cretaceous of South Africa. Taxonomically assigned to numerous groups since discovery, in 1981 it was described as a stegosaur, a group of armoured ornithischian dinosaurs characterised by bizarre plates and spines extending from the neck to the tail. This assignment has been subsequently accepted. The type material consists of a premaxilla, maxilla, a nasal, and a vertebra, and contains no synapomorphies of Stegosauria. Several features of the maxilla and dentition are reminiscent of Ankylosauria, the sister-taxon to Stegosauria, and the premaxilla appears superficially similar to that of some ornithopods. The vertebral material has never been described, and since the last description of the specimen, there have been numerous discoveries of thyreophoran material potentially pertinent to establishing the taxonomic assignment of the specimen. An investigation of the taxonomic and systematic position of Paranthodon is therefore warranted. This study provides a detailed re-description, including the first description of the vertebra. Numerous phylogenetic analyses demonstrate that the systematic position of Paranthodon is highly labile and subject to change depending on which exemplifier for the clade Stegosauria is used. The results indicate that the use of a basal exemplifier may not result in the correct phylogenetic position of a taxon being recovered if the taxon displays character states more derived than those of the basal exemplifier, and we recommend the use, minimally, of one basal and one derived exemplifier per clade. Paranthodon is most robustly recovered as a stegosaur in our analyses, meaning it is one of the youngest and southernmost stegosaurs.

scholarly journals Testing pterosaur ingroup relationships through broader sampling of avemetatarsalian taxa and characters and a range of phylogenetic analysis techniques

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9604
Author(s):  
Matthew G. Baron
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Sensu Stricto ◽  
Late Triassic ◽  
Sister Taxon ◽  
Analysis Techniques ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
Anatomical Characters ◽  
First Time

The pterosaurs first appear in the fossil record in the middle of the Late Triassic. Their earliest representatives are known from Northern Hemisphere localities but, by the end of the Jurassic Period, this clade of flying reptiles achieved a global distribution, as well as high levels of diversity and disparity. Our understanding of early pterosaur evolution and the fundamental interrelationships within Pterosauria has improved dramatically in recent decades. However, there is still debate about how the various pterosaur subgroups relate to one another and about which taxa comprise these. Many recent phylogenetic analyses, while sampling well from among the known Triassic and Early Jurassic pterosaurs, have not included many non-pterosaurian ornithodirans or other avemetatarsalians. Given the close relationship between these groups of archosaurs, the omission of other ornithodirans and avemetatarsalians has the potential to adversely affect the results of phylogenetic analyses, in terms of character optimisation and ingroup relationships recovered. This study has addressed this issue and tests the relationships between the early diverging pterosaur taxa following the addition of avemetatarsalian taxa and anatomical characters to an existing early pterosaur dataset. This study has, for the first time, included taxa that represent the aphanosaurs, lagerpetids, silesaurids and dinosaurs, in addition to early pterosaurs. Anatomical characters used in other recent studies of archosaurs and early dinosaurs have also been incorporated. By expanding the outgroup taxa and anatomical character coverage in this pterosaur dataset, better resolution between the taxa within certain early pterosaur subclades has been achieved and stronger support for some existing clades has been found; other purported clades of early pterosaurs have not been found in this analysis—for example there is no support for a monophyletic Eopterosauria or Eudimorphodontidae. Further support has been found for a sister-taxon relationship between Peteinosaurus zambelli and Macronychoptera, a clade here named Zambellisauria (clade nov.), as well as for a monophyletic and early diverging Preondactylia. Some analyses also support the existence of a clade that falls as sister-taxon to the zambellisaurs, here named Caviramidae (clade nov.). Furthermore, some support has been found for a monophyletic Austriadraconidae at the base of Pterosauria. Somewhat surprisingly, Lagerpetidae is recovered outside of Ornithodira sensu stricto, meaning that, based upon current definitions at least, pterosaurs fall within Dinosauromorpha in this analysis. However, fundamental ornithodiran interrelationships were not the focus of this study and this particular result should be treated with caution for now. However, these results do further highlight the need for broader taxon and character sampling in phylogenetic analyses, and the effects of outgroup choice on determining ingroup relationships.

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