Minjinia Explained

Minjinia turgenensis is a species of placoderm from the Devonian of Mongolia. It is known from a single specimen preserving part of the skull, including remains of endochondral bone, which indicates that a mineralised endoskeleton evolved before the split between bony and cartilaginous fish, and that it was lost in the latter group.[1]

Classification

In the phylogenetic analysis ran by Brazeau et al., M. turgenensis was found as the sister taxon of a clade formed by Entelognathus, Ramirosuarezia, Janusiscus and the crown gnathostomes. A cladogram simplified from their analysis is shown below:[1]

Notes and References

  1. Brazeau . Martin D. . Giles . Sam . Dearden . Richard P. . Jerve . Anna . Ariunchimeg . Ya. . Zorig . E. . Sansom . Robert . Guillerme . Thomas . Castiello . Marco . Endochondral bone in an Early Devonian 'placoderm' from Mongolia . Nature Ecology & Evolution . 7 September 2020 . 4 . 11 . 1477–1484 . 10.1038/s41559-020-01290-2. 32895518 . 2020NatEE...4.1477B . 10044/1/82739 . free .