The origin of vertebrate teeth and evolution of sensory exoskeletons.

ABSTRACT: The earliest record of tooth antecedents and the tissue dentine^1,2, an early-vertebrate novelty, has been controversially represented by fragmentary Cambrian fossils identified as Anatolepis heintzi^3-5. Anatolepis exoskeletons have the characteristic tubules of dentine that prompted their interpretation as the first precursors of teeth³, known as odontodes. Debates over whether Anatolepis is a legitimate vertebrate^6-8 have arisen because of limitations in imaging and the lack of comparative exoskeletal tissues. Here, to resolve this controversy and understand the origin of dental tissues, we synchrotron-scanned diverse extinct and extant vertebrate and invertebrate exoskeletons. We find that the tubules of Anatolepis have been misidentified as de

SUBMITTER: Haridy Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12137117 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature