Qingmenodus Explained

Qingmenodus is a genus of prehistoric lobe-finned fish. Fossils of Qingmenodus were found in China and date back to the Early Devonian period. Qingmenodus reveals the first well-ossified otoccipital braincase in onychodonts. Palaeontologists believe that Qingmenodus was one of the oldest onychodont fish.[1]

Relationships

A study of additional new fossils of Qingmenodus in a larger phylogenetic analysis of Sarcopterygii including new neurocranial characters supported placing onychodontiforms as stem-coelacanths, within Actinistia.[2]

Notes and References

  1. 10.1098/rspb.2009.0708 . Lu. Jing. Zhu. Min. 2010. An onychodont fish (Osteichthyes, Sarcopterygii) from the Early Devonian of China, and the evolution of the Onychodontiformes. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 277. 1679. 293–299 . 19515665 . 2842670.
  2. Lu, J., et al. 2016. A Devonian predatory fish provides insights into the early evolution of modern sarcopterygians. Science Advances, vol. 2, no. 6, e1600154, doi:10.1126/sciadv.1600154