DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Unraveling the Systematics of Palaeoniscoid Fishes-Lower Actinopterygians in Need of a Complete Phylogenetic Revision

尽管鳍鱼(例如，鲶鱼、鲑鱼)是当今地球上种类最多的脊椎动物，但人们对它们的早期进化知之甚少。这是因为原始化石中的鳍鱼，即古带鳍鱼类，是一个未被充分研究的群体。在研究已灭绝和已灭绝的鳍鱼之间的进化关系的分析中，仍有无数的古带鳍动物有待描述和包括在内。这些灭绝的鱼类之所以重要，是因为今天鱼类的体型起源于古鱼类，而且有证据表明，其中一些与今天的鱼类密切相关。该项目的目标是通过全面研究古带鱼之间的相互关系来阐明鱼类的早期进化。这将通过对博物馆藏品中的新物种的描述，对祖先古带鱼和后代的解剖变化的调查，以及重建古带鱼和现存鱼类之间的进化关系来实现。对射线鳍鱼化石(古鱼纲)关系的了解将有助于更好地了解当今鱼类的早期进化。与今天的形态关系最密切的鱼类化石将被识别出来。这个项目中确定的解剖特征可以通过确定鳍鱼的祖先条件来影响到今天鱼类的许多研究领域。此外，还将为小学生开设课程，介绍从化石鱼类中可以学到什么。

Although ray-finned fishes (e.g. catfish, salmon) are the most diverse group of vertebrates on the planet today, their early evolution is poorly understood. This is because primitive fossil ray-finned fishes, the palaeoniscoids, are an understudied group. Countless palaeoniscoids remain to be described and included in analyses that investigate evolutionary relationships among extinct and extant ray-finned fishes. These extinct fishes are important because the body plan of today's fishes has originated from palaeoniscoids, and there is evidence that some are closely related to today's fishes. The goal of this project is to shed light onto the early evolution of fishes by investigating the interrelationships of palaeoniscoids in a comprehensive study. This will be accomplished with descriptions of new species from museum collections, investigations into anatomical changes in ancestral palaeoniscoids and descendants, and reconstructing evolutionary relationships among palaeoniscoids and living fishes. Knowledge of relationships of fossil ray-finned fishes (palaeoniscoids) will provide a better understanding of the early evolution of today's living fishes. Fossil fishes most closely related to today's forms will be identified. Anatomical features identified in this project can affect many areas of study into today's fishes by identifying the ancestral condition for ray-finned fishes. In addition, lessons describing what can be learned from fossil fishes will be created for elementary school students.