Taxonomy and phylogeny of the genus Eosemionotus (Neopterygii, Holostei): insights into theevolutionary history of modern fishes

经过一段时间的分子系统发育学的主导地位，忽视了古生物学在系统分类学中的作用，以及随后在所谓的分子与形态学争论的框架下的讨论，进化生物学家现在开始理解在系统发育分析和宏观进化研究中整合化石分类群的必要性。为此，需要进行全证据分析，包括现存分类群和化石分类群的分子和形态数据。然而，由于缺乏对许多重要分类群的详细形态学研究，这是一项具有挑战性和困难的任务。研究表明，增加形态学数据（包括性状和分类群）的数量是优化总证据数据矩阵枝系分析的必要条件。在此背景下，迫切需要对化石分类群进行详细的形态学研究和枝系分析，特别是那些在化石记录丰富而仅存少数代表的枝系中代表灭绝谱系的化石分类群（如Holostei）。在此背景下，本项目拟完成对三叠纪新翼龙Eosemionotus的详细形态学和分支学研究。这项研究将以最近从圣乔治山（瑞士）Meride石灰石（拉迪尼亚）的Cassina和Sceltrich层收集的保存非常完好的Eosemionotus标本为基础，以及迄今为止在该属中命名的仅有的两个物种的类型和参考材料：E. vogeli来自Förderstedt bei Bernsburg（德国）最下层的Muschelkalk（安尼西亚）和E. ceresiensis来自Monte San Giorgio（瑞士）的Besano组（安尼西亚-拉迪尼亚）。因此，该项目有望提供新的形态学和系统发育数据，以提高我们对新翼鸟早期进化的理解。

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 now start to 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. However, this is a challenging and difficult task due to the lack of detailed morphological study of many important taxa. It has been demonstrated that increasing the amount of morphological data (both characters and taxa) is necessary to optimize cladistic analyses of Total Evidence data matrices. In this context, any detailed morphological study and cladistic analysis of fossil taxa, especially those representing extinct lineages within clades with an extensive fossil record and only few living representatives (e.g. Holostei), are urgently needed. Within this context, the present project is proposed to complete a detailed morphological and cladistic study of the Triassic neopterygian Eosemionotus. The study will be based on recently collected and extraordinarily well preserved specimens of Eosemionotus from the Cassina and Sceltrich beds of the Meride Limestone (Ladinian) of the Monte San Giorgio (Switzerland), as well as the type and referred material of the only two species so far named in this genus: E. vogeli from the lowermost Muschelkalk (Anisian) of Förderstedt bei Bernsburg (Germany) and E. ceresiensis from the Besano Formation (Anisian-Ladinian) of the Monte San Giorgio (Switzerland). The project is thus expected to provide new morphological and phylogenetic data to improve our understanding of the early evolution of neopterygians.