New holostean (Actinopterygii, Neopterygii) from the Nusplingen Lithographic Limestone (Upper Jurassic, Late Kimmeridgian), Germany

本项目旨在研究最近在德国西南部努斯普林根的晚基默里德世发现的一个新的盐生形态分类群的解剖学、分类学和系统发育关系。在盐生形目中，这种新鱼与一些中三叠世的类群最为相似，这些类群可能代表了最古老的电离镜类型或一个独立的、更基本的谱系。因此，对这个新的Nusplingen分类单元的形态和分支的研究可能对重新评估当前的HalecMori系统发育假说和提高我们对这一重要脊椎动物群体的早期进化的理解至关重要。此外，在经历了一段时期的分子系统发育学占主导地位，忽视了古生物学在系统学中的作用，以及随后在所谓的分子与形态‘争论’的框架下的讨论之后，进化生物学家越来越认识到在系统发育分析和宏观进化研究中整合化石类群的必要性。要做到这一点，需要进行全面的证据分析，包括活的和化石的分类群的分子和形态数据，但由于缺乏对许多重要分类群的详细形态研究，这一分析具有挑战性和难度。在此背景下，本文提出的研究也是对完善和增加新翅目系统发育和宏观进化的全面证据研究所需的形态数据的宝贵贡献。

The present project is proposed to study the anatomy, taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships of a new halecomorph taxon recently discovered in the Late Kimmeridgian of Nusplingen, Southwest Germany. Among halecomorphs, the new fish resembles most closely some Middle Triassic taxa that might represent the oldest ionoscopiforms or an independent and more basal lineage. The morphological and cladistic study of this new Nusplingen taxon might thus be crucial to reevaluate current phylogenetic hypotheses of Halecomorphi and improve our understanding of the early evolution of this important group of vertebrates. Furthermore, after a period of dominance of molecular phylogenetics, neglecting the role of palaeontology in systematics, and a subsequent time of discussions in the framework of the so-called molecules vs morphology ‘controversy’, evolutionary biologists more and more understand the need of integrating fossil taxa in phylogenetic analyses and macroevolutionary studies. To do so, Total Evidence analyses, including both molecular and morphological data of living and fossil taxa are needed but, this is challenging and difficult due to the lack of detailed morphological study of many important taxa. In this context, the study proposed herein also represents a valuable contribution to refine and increase the morphological data needed for a Total Evidence study of the phylogeny and macroevolution of Neopterygii.