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A larval Devonian lungfish

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  • Keith S. Thomson

    (Oxford University Museum of Natural History)

  • Mark Sutton

    (Oxford University Museum of Natural History)

  • Bethia Thomas

    (Oxford University Museum of Natural History)

Abstract

Perhaps the most enduring of puzzles in palaeontology has been the identity of Palaeospondylus gunni Traquair, a tiny (5–60-mm) vertebrate fossil from the Middle Devonian period (∼ 385 Myr ago) of Scotland, first discovered in 1890 (refs 1–3). It is known principally from a single site (Achanarras Quarry, Caithness) where, paradoxically, it is extremely abundant, preserved in varved lacustrine deposits along with 13 other genera of fishes4. Here we show that Palaeospondylus is the larval stage of a lungfish, most probably Dipterus valenciennesi Sedgwick and Murchison 1828 (ref. 5), and that development of the adult form requires a distinct metamorphosis. Palaeospondylus is the oldest known true larva of a vertebrate.

Suggested Citation

  • Keith S. Thomson & Mark Sutton & Bethia Thomas, 2003. "A larval Devonian lungfish," Nature, Nature, vol. 426(6968), pages 833-834, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:426:y:2003:i:6968:d:10.1038_nature02175
    DOI: 10.1038/nature02175
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