Mass extinction in tetraodontiform fishes linked to the Palaeocene-Eocene thermal maximum.

ABSTRACT: Integrative evolutionary analyses based upon fossil and extant species provide a powerful approach for understanding past diversification events and for assessing the tempo of evolution across the Tree of Life. Herein, we demonstrate the importance of integrating fossil and extant species for inferring patterns of lineage diversification that would otherwise be masked in analyses that examine only one source of evidence. We infer the phylogeny and macroevolutionary history of the Tetraodontiformes (triggerfishes, pufferfishes and allies), a group with one of the most extensive fossil records among fishes. Our analyses combine molecular and morphological data, based on an expanded matrix that adds newly coded fossil species and character states. Beyond confidently resolving the relationship

SUBMITTER: Arcila D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5698648 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature