Language: English
Knowledge of fossil sharks (chondrichthyans) has advanced tremendously over the past decade, giving scientists a window into a historically understudied branch of the evolutionary tree of fishes, and revealing anatomies and ecologies just as diverse and fascinating as those of bony fishes (osteichthyans). This volume assembles cutting-edge research on the biology, anatomy, and evolution of sharks and bony fishes, featuring works by palaeobiologists and associated researchers from 11 countries, spanning topics from taxonomy to statistical methodology, in honour of Professor John G. Maisey, for his pioneering work on Paleozoic chondrichthyan anatomy, taxonomy, and palaeobiogeography over his half-century career at the American Museum of Natural History. With an introduction and 16 chapters, this volume erects two new families and two new genera and provides 160 figures and illustrations, and 29 plates, including the most comprehensive collection of high-resolution images of a rare fossil shark, held predominantly in private collections.
Preface by the editors p. 7 / Alan Pradel, John S. S. Denton and Philippe Janvier
Introduction
- John G. Maisey – a Biographical Sketch p. 9 / Maria da Gloria P. de Carvalho
Analysis and methodology
- The intriguing †Atacamichthys fish from the Middle Jurassic of Chile – an amiiform or a teleosteomorph? p. 19 / Gloria Arratia, Hans-Peter Schultze, Soledad Gouiric-Cavalli and Claudio Quezada-Romegialli
- Paleontological treasures among commonplace fossils: a paradigm to study evolutionary innovation p. 37 / Jose Xavier-Neto and Ismar de Souza Carvalho
- Influence analysis of fossil chondrichthyan taxa p. 49 / John S. S. Denton and Eric W. Goolsby
- Modularity of the Weberian apparatus in the zebrafish using micro-CT technology and 3-D geometric morphometrics p. 59 / Kevin K. Duclos, Terry C. Grande and Richard Cloutier
- You are how you look: potential utility of quantitative body shape analysis in classification of Eocene cypriniforms p. 71 / Juan Liu
Descriptive Anatomy and Development
- Endoskeletal tissues of acanthodians (stem Chondrichthyes) p. 81 / Carole J. Burrow and Jan L. den Blaauwen
- A three-dimensionally preserved stethacanthid cranium and endocast from the Late Mississippian Fayetteville Shale (Arkansas, USA) p. 93 / Allison W. Bronson
- The new family Mesiteiidae (Chondrichthyes, Orectolobiformes), based on Mesiteia emiliae Kramberger, 1884. A contribution to the Upper Cretaceous (early Cenomanian) shark fauna from Lebanon p. 101 / Friedrich H. Pfeil
- The visceral skeleton and its relation to the head circulatory system of both a fossil, the Carboniferous Iniopera, and a modern, Callorhinchus milii holocephalan (Chondrichthyes) p. 183 / Alan Pradel, Richard P. Dearden , Antoine Cuckovic, Rohan Mansuit and Philippe Janvier
- The cranium of Helodus simplex (Agassiz, 1838) revised p. 193 / Michael I. Coates, Kristen Tietjen, Zerina Johanson, Matt Friedman and Stephanie Sang
- The stem-holocephalan Helodus (Chondrichthyes; Holocephali) and the evolution of modern chimaeroid dentitions p. 205 / Zerina Johanson, Charlie Underwood, Michael I. Coates, Vincent Fernandez, Brett Clark and Moya M. Smith
- The Ancient, Segmented, Active and Permanent Notochord p. 215 / P. Eckhard Witten and Brian K. Hall
- The distribution of post-mandibular teeth in extant vertebrates revisited: co-evolution of pharyngeal pouches and teeth? p. 225 / Ann Huysseune
Stratigraphy and Biogeography
- The Cretaceous fishes of Brazil: a paleobiogeographic perspective p. 233 / Rafael M. Lindoso and Ismar de S. Carvalho
- Fossil chondrichthyan remains from the Middle Devonian Kevington Creek Formation, South Blue Range, Victoria p. 239 / John A. Long, Victoria Thomson, Carole J. Burrow and Susan Turner
- Devonian fish from Colorado’s Dyer Formation and the appearance of Carboniferous faunas in the Famennian p. 247 / Hans-Peter Schultze, James Bullecks, Linda K. Soar and James W. Hagadorn