Abstract
A novel hypothesis uniting Acipenser stellatus and Pseudoscaphirhynchus as sister groups has recently been proposed based on analysis of DNA sequences. In this paper I compare specimens of A. stellatus and P. kaufmanni, and show that they share several putatively derived similarities in the structure of their skulls, including: the presence of large spines on the dermal bones of skull; lateral extrascapular bones that enclose the confluence of the posttemporal, supratemporal, and otic sensory canals; elongate dorsal rostral bones; border rostral bones distinct in shape from dorsal rostral bones; greatly enlarged jugal that lacks a median flange; rostral canal bones that loop posteriorly at the anterior commissure of the rostral sensory canals; and the presence of an elongate, flat, and broad posterior ventral rostral bone. These similarities support a close relationship between A. stellatus and Pseudoscaphirhynchus, but still remain to be critically tested.
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Hilton, E.J. Observations on the skulls of sturgeons (Acipenseridae): shared similarities of Pseudoscaphirhynchus kaufmanni and juvenile specimens of Acipenser stellatus. Environ Biol Fish 72, 135–144 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-004-6578-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-004-6578-y