The occipital region in the basal bony fish Erpetoichthys calabaricus (Actinopterygii: Cladistia)

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2008

Abstract

Erpetoichthys calabaricus has unusual cranio-vertebral anatomy, with an occipital centrum forming a component part of the compound basiexoccipital bone, and a 'free-floating' occipital neural arch that differs from accessory arches found in some teleosts. The occipital neural arch bears autapomorphic lateral projections that articulate with small rod-like bones resembling the spatial relationship of parapophyses and ribs, a feature normally restricted to vertebral centra. Based on analyses of cleared and stained specimens, computed tomography and histology, it is hypothesized that the lateral projections and associated rod-shaped bones are structures that share developmental homologies to the unique 'dorsal ribs' of Polypteridae. © 2008 The Authors.

Publication Title

Journal of fish biology

Volume

73

Issue

4

First Page

1075

Last Page

1082

Comments

This article was published in Journal of fish biology, Volume 73, Issue 4, Pages 1075-1082.

The published version is available at 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2008.02007.x.

Copyright © 2008 Scopus.

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