Ceratodontidae Explained

Ceratodontidae is an extinct family of lungfish with fossils known worldwide from the earliest Triassic to the Eocene.

Taxonomy

Although the extant Queensland lungfish was formerly also classified in this family due to its similar appearance, phylogenetic and morphological evidence indicates that it belongs in a different family, Neoceratodontidae. A morphological study by Kemp et al (2017) proposed that Ceratodontidae was more closely related to modern African (Protopteridae) and South American lungfish (Leptosirenidae) than Queensland lungfish.^[1] However, Brownstein, Harrington & Near (2023) found Ceratodontidae to lie outside the crown group of modern lungfish, with all modern lungfish more closely related to each other than to Ceratodontidae.^[2]

Genera

The following genera are known from the family:^[3]

• †Arganodus (alternatively placed in own family, Arganodontidae)
• †Ariguna
• †Ceratodus
• †Epiceratodus
• †Lupaceratodus Galula Formation, Tanzania, Cretaceous
• †Metaceratodus
• †Microceratodus (?)
• †Potamoceratodus
• †Tellerodus
• †Retodus

Paraceratodus was also classified in this family but phylogenetic evidence supports it being the most basal member of Ceratodontoidei.^[4]

Notes and References

1. Kemp . Anne . Cavin . Lionel . Guinot . Guillaume . 2017-04-01 . Evolutionary history of lungfishes with a new phylogeny of post-Devonian genera . Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology . en . 471 . 209–219 . 10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.12.051 . 0031-0182 . free. 2017PPP...471..209K .
2. Brownstein . Chase Doran . Harrington . Richard C . Near . Thomas J. . July 2023 . The biogeography of extant lungfishes traces the breakup of Gondwana . Journal of Biogeography . en . 50 . 7 . 1191–1198 . 10.1111/jbi.14609 . 2023JBiog..50.1191B . 0305-0270.
3. Web site: Fossilworks: Ceratodontidae. 17 December 2021. fossilworks.org.
4. Web site: Fossilworks: Paraceratodus. 17 December 2021. fossilworks.org.