Morphology forms the most fundamental level of data in vertebrate palaeontology because it
is through interpretations of morphology that taxa are identified, creating the basis for broad …

During the century following the publication of Darwin's (24) Origin of Species, biological
taxonomy waited for the revolution that should have followed upon acceptance of an …

We assembled a dataset of 192 carefully selected species—51 extinct and 141 extant—and
976 apomorphies distributed among 610 phenotypic characters to investigate the phylogeny …

Dating the tree of life is a core endeavor in evolutionary biology. Rates of evolution are
fundamental to nearly every evolutionary model and process. Rates need dates. There is …

Several prominent cladists have questioned the importance of fossils in phylogenctic
inference, and it is becoming increasingly popular to simply fit extinct forms, if they are …

Over the last 25 years, researchers, mostly paleontologists, have developed a system of
rank-free, phylogenetically defined names for the primary clades of turtles. As these names …

The comparative osteology, phylogenetic relationships, and historical biogeography of all
known taxa of fossil and living amiid fishes (Halecomorphi: Amiidae) are investigated in …

Mammalia is defined by its ancestry as the taxon originating with the most recent common
ancestor of extant Monotremata and Theria. To diagnose Mammalia as so defined, 176 …

The comparative osteology, phylogenetic relationships, and historical biogeography of all
known fossil and living gars (Ginglymodi: Lepisosteiformes) are investigated in detail …

Abstract Squamata (amphisbaenians,“lizards”, mosasaurs, and snakes) is an extremely
diverse clade with a rich fossil record. There is little consensus about the interrelationships …