Meeting Abstract

P2.127  Wednesday, Jan. 5  14 genes resolve basal ray-finned fish relationships LI, C; BROUGHTON, R.E.; ORTI, G; ZHANG, F*; Univ. of Nebraska; Univ. of Oklahoma; George Washington Univ. ; Univ. of Oklahoma feifeizhang@ou.edu

With over 28,000 described species, the ray-finned fishes are as diverse as all other vertebrate classes combined and include all the extant “fishes” (except agnathans, elasmobranchs, lungfishes and coelacanths). Despite extensive study, evolutionary relationships among major groups of ray-finned fishes have been elusive. The base of the actinoperygian radiation includes five lineages: the bichirs and reedfishes (Polypteriformes), sturgeons and paddlefishes (Chondrosteiformes), gars (Lepisosteiformes), bowfin (Amiiformes), and the teleosts (Teleostei). The teleosts are by far the largest group and are clearly monophyletic, yet relationships among the teleosts and the other four lineages have remained problematic. In addition, identity of the basal teleost group has not been clearly established. Here we use sequences of 14 genes to resolve phylogenetic relationships among all basal actinopterygian lineages. Our results recovered a monophyletic Neopterygii (Lepisosteiformes + Amiiformes + Telostei) and indicate that the Holostei (Lepisosteiformes + Amiiformes) is the monophyletic sister group to teleosts. In addition, the Elopomorpha (rather than the Osteoglossomorpha) is the basal teleost lineage.