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Patterns, trends, and rates of evolution within the Actinistia

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Book cover The biology of Latimeria chalumnae and evolution of coelacanths

Part of the book series: Developments in environmental biology of fishes ((DEBF,volume 12))

Abstract

The interrelationships of 31 actinistian species (including Latimeria chalumnae) are analyzed based on a cladistic analysis of 75 osteological characters. Inference of evolutionary trends (e.g., modification of body shape and skull morphology) from the phylogenetic patterns demonstrates that the morphology of actinistians is less conservative than has been proposed previously. This empirical cladistic approach supports two distinct tempos of evolution during an evolutionary history of 380 million years. Along a phylogenetic pathway originating with a Devonian stem-species and ending with the living Latimeria chalumnae (including 101 morphological changes and 18 cladogenetic events), the first tempo occurred during the Devonian — Permian periods as a decreasing rate of morphological changes, which was followed by a stabilizing tempo during the Permian — Recent periods. The decreasing tempo is characterized by a sequence of gradual versus quantum temporal changes and low versus faster rates, whereas the stabilizing tempo primarily is gradual and low. In contrast to a common assumption, no significant correlation was found between the rates of morphological evolution and the temporal diversity of species.

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  1. Museum of Natural History, Department of Systematics and Ecology, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045-2454, USA

    Richard Cloutier

  2. Department of Palaeontology, British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, England

    Richard Cloutier

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John A. Musick Michael N. Bruton Eugene K. Balon

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Cloutier, R. (1991). Patterns, trends, and rates of evolution within the Actinistia. In: Musick, J.A., Bruton, M.N., Balon, E.K. (eds) The biology of Latimeria chalumnae and evolution of coelacanths. Developments in environmental biology of fishes, vol 12. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3194-0_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3194-0_3

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