Phylogenetic Analysis of Ray-Finned Fish Diversity
Summary
Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii) represent the most speciose vertebrate group, encompassing deep evolutionary splits between archaic lineages such as Holostei and the vast radiation of Teleostei. Phylogenetic analyses integrate morphological traits from fossil specimens with high-throughput genomic data to resolve branching patterns, divergence times and episodes of rapid radiation. Recent advances in phylogenomics have revealed unrecognised species diversity within “living fossils”, clarified early neopterygian relationships and demonstrated convergent trophic innovations among Mesozoic clades. These insights inform conservation priorities, underpin the taxonomy of commercially important stocks and refine our understanding of vertebrate genome evolution. By combining single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data, cladistic matrices and molecular clocks, researchers are reconstructing a detailed Tree of Life for Actinopterygii that spans over 400 million years and unites deep-time fossil evidence with modern genomic datasets.
Research from Nature Portfolio
Phylogenomic surveys of the bowfin (Amia calva) employing thousands of SNPs have uncovered at least two distinct evolutionary lineages within what was thought to be a single species. This discovery expands recognised diversity in a lineage diverged over 150 million years ago and highlights the power of genome-scale data to detect cryptic speciation events even in morphologically conservative taxa. A separate study of pycnodontiform fishes has defined a novel Cretaceous–Paleogene lineage characterised by cutting-type dentitions convergent with those of serrasalmid characiforms. Morphological phylogenetic work on exceptionally preserved fossils from Morocco establishes this group as a distinct family, demonstrating unexpected ecological breadth and trophic innovation among early ray-finned fishes.
Phylogenetic Analysis of Ray-Finned Fish Diversity publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in phylogenetic analysis of ray-finned fish diversity across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Phylogeny: The evolutionary history and branching relationships among species or clades.
Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP): A single base-pair variation in genomic DNA used as a marker for genetic diversity and lineage delimitation.
Actinopterygii: The clade of ray-finned fishes, defined by fins supported by bony rays rather than fleshy lobes.
Teleostei: The crown group of ray-finned fishes that underwent a major radiation during the Mesozoic and today comprises over 99% of living fish species.
Holostei: A basal neopterygian clade including gars and bowfins, representing an early diverging branch of ray-finned fishes.
References
- Phylogenomic analysis of the bowfin (Amia calva) reveals unrecognized species diversity in a living fossil lineage. Scientific Reports (2022).
- A unique Cretaceous–Paleogene lineage of piranha-jawed pycnodont fishes. Scientific Reports (2017).
- Neopterygian phylogeny: the merger assay. Royal Society Open Science (2018).
- Phylogenetic Interrelationships of Ginglymodian Fishes (Actinopterygii: Neopterygii). PLOS ONE (2012).
- Osteology and phylogeny of Robustichthys luopingensis, the largest holostean fish in the Middle Triassic. PeerJ (2019).
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