Labial cartilages in the smalltooth sandtiger shark, Odontaspis ferox (lamniformes: odontaspididae) and their significance to the phylogeny of lamniform sharks.
Using computed tomography, we discovered labial cartilages (splanchnocranial components) in an enigmatic lamniform shark, Odontaspis ferox (smalltooth sandtiger). We demonstrate that the presence of labial cartilages is plesiomorphic in Lamniformes, affirming that their "reduction" cannot be used as a synapomorphy for the order. Rather, their loss occurred through lamniform phylogeny.
Shimada
Kenshu
K
Environmental Science Program, DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois 60614, USA. kshimada@depaul.edu
Rigsby
Cynthia K
CK
Kim
Sun H
SH
D000818:Animals; D002356:Cartilage / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D010802:Phylogeny; D012754:Sharks / Q000033:anatomy & histology*