Publisher Summary This chapter presents the basic morphological structure of fish skulls,
identify the principles of musculoskeletal biomechanics that transfer force and motion in fish …

Background How particular changes in functional morphology can repeatedly promote
ecological diversification is an active area of evolutionary investigation. The African rift-lake …

Mesozoic crurotarsans exhibited diverse morphologies and feeding modes, representing
considerable ecological diversity, yet macroevolutionary patterns remain unexplored. Here …

This chapter will cover clade definitions, the relationships within clades as well as the
occasional controversial relationships between different clades. Phylogenies arising from a …

The evolution of the jaw represents a key innovation in driving the diversification of
vertebrate body plans and behavior. The pharyngeal apparatus originated as gill bars …

The tuatara, Sphenodon punctatus, known from 32 small islands around New Zealand, has
often been noted as a classic 'living fossil'because of its apparently close resemblance to its …

Evolutionary novelties—derived traits without clear homology found in the ancestors of a
lineage—may promote ecological specialization and facilitate adaptive radiations. Examples …

Placoderms are a diverse group of armoured fishes that dominated the aquatic ecosystems
of the Devonian Period, 415–360 million years ago. The bladed jaws of predators such as …

Gars (Lepisosteidae) are ray-finned fishes with controversial relationships to other
actinopterygian lineages. When fossil taxa are considered, gars are grouped with Mesozoic …

Standard Symbolic Codes for Institutional Resource Collections in Herpetology and Ichthyology
Version 2.0 Compiled by Mark H. Sa Page 1 Standard Symbolic Codes for Institutional …