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Bony-fish-like scales in a Silurian maxillate placoderm

Author

Listed:
  • Xindong Cui

    (Peking University
    Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Matt Friedman

    (University of Michigan)

  • Yilun Yu

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • You-an Zhu

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Min Zhu

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Abstract

Major groups of jawed vertebrates exhibit contrasting conditions of dermal plates and scales. But the transition between these conditions remains unclear due to rare information on taxa occupying key phylogenetic positions. The 425-million-year-old fish Entelognathus combines an unusual mosaic of characters typically associated with jawed stem gnathostomes or crown gnathostomes. However, only the anterior part of the exoskeleton was previously known for this very crownward member of the gnathostome stem. Here, we report a near-complete post-thoracic exoskeleton of Entelognathus. Strikingly, its scales are large and some are rhomboid, bearing distinctive peg-and-socket articulations; this combination was previously only known in osteichthyans and considered a synapomorphy of that group. The presence in Entelognathus of an anal fin spine, previously only found in some stem chondrichthyans, further illustrates that many characters previously thought to be restricted to specific lineages within the gnathostome crown likely arose before the common ancestor of living jawed vertebrates.

Suggested Citation

  • Xindong Cui & Matt Friedman & Yilun Yu & You-an Zhu & Min Zhu, 2023. "Bony-fish-like scales in a Silurian maxillate placoderm," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-43557-9
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43557-9
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Min Zhu & Wenjin Zhao & Liantao Jia & Jing Lu & Tuo Qiao & Qingming Qu, 2009. "The oldest articulated osteichthyan reveals mosaic gnathostome characters," Nature, Nature, vol. 458(7237), pages 469-474, March.
    2. You-an Zhu & Qiang Li & Jing Lu & Yang Chen & Jianhua Wang & Zhikun Gai & Wenjin Zhao & Guangbiao Wei & Yilun Yu & Per E. Ahlberg & Min Zhu, 2022. "The oldest complete jawed vertebrates from the early Silurian of China," Nature, Nature, vol. 609(7929), pages 954-958, September.
    3. Plamen S. Andreev & Ivan J. Sansom & Qiang Li & Wenjin Zhao & Jianhua Wang & Chun-Chieh Wang & Lijian Peng & Liantao Jia & Tuo Qiao & Min Zhu, 2022. "Spiny chondrichthyan from the lower Silurian of South China," Nature, Nature, vol. 609(7929), pages 969-974, September.
    4. Sam Giles & Matt Friedman & Martin D. Brazeau, 2015. "Osteichthyan-like cranial conditions in an Early Devonian stem gnathostome," Nature, Nature, vol. 520(7545), pages 82-85, April.
    5. Min Zhu & Xiaobo Yu & Per Erik Ahlberg & Brian Choo & Jing Lu & Tuo Qiao & Qingming Qu & Wenjin Zhao & Liantao Jia & Henning Blom & You’an Zhu, 2013. "A Silurian placoderm with osteichthyan-like marginal jaw bones," Nature, Nature, vol. 502(7470), pages 188-193, October.
    6. Martin D. Brazeau & Matt Friedman, 2015. "The origin and early phylogenetic history of jawed vertebrates," Nature, Nature, vol. 520(7548), pages 490-497, April.
    7. Min Zhu & Xiaobo Yu & Wei Wang & Wenjin Zhao & Liantao Jia, 2006. "A primitive fish provides key characters bearing on deep osteichthyan phylogeny," Nature, Nature, vol. 441(7089), pages 77-80, May.
    8. Randall F. Miller & Richard Cloutier & Susan Turner, 2003. "The oldest articulated chondrichthyan from the Early Devonian period," Nature, Nature, vol. 425(6957), pages 501-504, October.
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