RUI: Morphology and Evolution of the Pectoral Complex in Catfishes (Teleostei: Siluriformes)

本研究提出了一种形态学的进化分析 胸鳍及相关骨骼和肌肉成分 （以下简称为胸鳍复合体）。 的 鲶鱼胸鳍复合体具有显著的多样性， 在结构和功能方面， 然而，缺乏 全面考察了这一群体中富有个性的情结。 这种信息的缺乏对 胸肌复合体的肌肉组织 本研究的目标是： (1)调查鲶鱼的胸肌复合体， （2）确定其结构多样性的程度; 复合体中元素的哪些进化修饰 与胸鳍的变化相互关联 功能;（3）确定胸肌复合体的意义 用于推断35个物种进化关系的特征 现存的和化石的鲶鱼家族。 这项研究的结果将被用来发展假设 鲶鱼胸鳍复合体的结构进化 可以指导定量/实验研究。 本研究 会产生鲶鱼关系的假设， 与来自其他方面的信息相结合或通过其他方面的信息进行测试 解剖/功能复合体。 这项研究也将有助于 更好地理解鲶鱼的多样化 与地球历史有关。 因为鲶鱼 约占所有主要淡水鱼的30%， 这项工作将有助于解开复杂的进化历史 世界淡水鱼类区系的重要组成部分， 水生生物多样性

This study proposes an evolutionary analysis of the morphology of the pectoral fin and related skeletal and muscular elements (henceforth referred to as the pectoral complex) in catfishes. The pectoral complex exhibits remarkable diversity in catfishes, with regard to both structure and function., However, there is lacking a comprehensive survey of this character-rich complex in the group. This scarcity of information is particularly acute for the musculature of the pectoral complex. The goals of this study are: (1) to survey the pectoral complex in catfishes to define the extent of its structural diversity; (2) to determine the extent to which evolutionary modifications of elements within the complex are correlated to each other and to modifications in pectoral fin function; (3) to determine the significance of pectoral complex characters for inferring evolutionary relationships of the 35 extant and fossil catfish families. The results of this study will be used to develop hypotheses of the structural evolution of the catfish pectoral complex that can guide quantitative/experimental investigations. This study will generate hypotheses of catfish relationships that can be combined with or tested by information from other anatomical/functional complexes. This study will also contribute to a better understanding of how the diversification of catfishes has been related to earth history. Inasmuch as catfishes constitute approximately 30% of all primary freshwater fishes, this work will assist in unravelling the complex evolutionary history of the world's freshwater fish faunas - a significant component of aquatic biological diversity.