Halecomorph actinopterygians from the Kimmeridgian of Brunn: insights into the origin and evolutionary dynamics of the fishes from the Solnhofen Archipelago
Final Report Abstract
The Jurassic was crucial for the evolution of modern vertebrate faunas. Profound geographical and climatic changes occurred on our planet, and most of our modern vertebrate groups underwent their first diversification and radiation during this time period. One of the most important areas for studying and understanding Jurassic vertebrate diversity and evolution is the Late Jurassic lagerstätte complex of the Solnhofen archipelago in southern Germany. Within this complex, the oldest locality (Late Kimmeridgian) of Brunn has provided an excellently preserved fauna of ray-finned halecomorph fishes. Halecomorphs are a particularly interesting group because, despite being nearly extinct today, represented by only two living species of the genus Amia, they were very successful, diverse and abundant during the Mesozoic, and the reasons for their severe decline during the Cainozoic remain unclear. The development of the project led to the recognition of several new taxa, in addition to the clarification of the taxonomic status of 367 species, including the validation of several taxa previously placed in synonymy. In particular, it is now known that the diversity of fishes in the superfamily Caturoidea is much higher than previously thought. Additionally, the research has revealed an important diversification of this group during the Late Jurassic that is not only indicated by the increase in the number of taxa, but also by the dispersal of the group outside Europe, which had already started in the Middle Jurassic. The detailed taxonomic work allowed us to recognize a similar composition of the Kimmeridgian halecomorph fish faunas on the northern shore of the Tethyan Ocean, whereas there is a marked change in the composition of the faunas within the Solnhofen Archipelago around the Kimmeridgian/Tithonian. Moreover, the detailed morphological studies conducted during this project significantly improved our understanding of the evolution of several anatomical structures, which are crucial for elucidating the phylogenetic relationships of ray-finned fishes.
Publications
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Non-random distribution of homoplasy and the definition of actinopterygian clades. Abstract Booklet of the 66th Symposium on Vertebrate Palaeontology and Comparative Anatomy, Manchester, UK, p. 43
López-Arbarello, A., Rauhut, O.W.M., and Pol, D.
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2019. The actinopterygian fauna of Nusplingen (Upper Jurassic; Germany). The Palaeontological Association 63rd Annual Meeting, Program and Abstracts p. 102
López-Arbarello A, Maxwell EE, Schweigert G.
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Ainia armata and the crucial role of non-amiiform halecomorphs to understand the history of neopterygians. The Palaeontological Association 63rd Annual Meeting, Program and Abstracts p. 102
López-Arbarello A.
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Homology of ethmoidal ossifications in neopterygians (Actinopterygii). Journal of Morphology 280: S166-S167
López-Arbarello A, Sferco E, Mirande JM.
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New halecomorph (Actinopterygii, Neopterygii) from the Nusplingen Lithographic Limestone (Upper Jurassic, Late Kimmeridgian), Germany. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 40(2), e1771348.
López-Arbarello, Adriana; Maxwell, Erin E. & Schweigert, Günter
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Regionalization of the vertebral column in ray-finned fishes. The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 80th Annual Meeting, Virtual. Program and Abstracts p. 225
López-Arbarello A, Maxwell
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Coccolepis Agassiz, 1843 (Coccolepididae, Chondrostei) from the Upper Jurassic Solnhofen Archipelago – rediscovery of the type specimen and open questions. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen, 300(1), 11-22.
Ebert, Martin; Bapst, Laure; Kölbl-Ebert, Martina; Malvesy, Thierry & López-Arbarello, Adriana
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Diversity of Coccolepis AGASSIZ, 1843 (Coccolepididae, Chondrostei) from the Upper Jurassic Solnhofen-Archipelago, Southern Germany. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 66(2021).
López-Arbarello, Adriana & Ebert, Martin
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Drawings intended for Agassiz (1833–1843): taxonomic implications for fishes from the Solnhofen Archipelago curated in Prague. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen, 306(3), 227-263.
Ebert, Martin; Ekrt, Boris; Lam, Caroline; Kölbl-Ebert, Martina & López-Arbarello, Adriana
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Taxonomic status of the caturid genera (Halecomorphi, Caturidae) and their Late Jurassic species. Royal Society Open Science, 10(1).
López-Arbarello, Adriana & Ebert, Martin
