Observations on the skulls of sturgeons (Acipenseridae): shared similarities of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudoscaphirhynchus kaufmanni</Emphasis> and juvenile specimens of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acipenser stellatus</Emphasis> |
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Authors: | Email author" target="_blank">Eric?J?HiltonEmail author |
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Institution: | (1) Geology Department, Field Museum of Natural History, 60605, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, IL, Chicago, U.S.A. |
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Abstract: | A novel hypothesis uniting Acipenser stellatus and Pseudoscaphirhynchus as sister groups has recently been proposed based on analysis of DNA sequences. In this paper I compare specimens of A. stellatus and P. kaufmanni, and show that they share several putatively derived similarities in the structure of their skulls, including: the presence of large spines on the dermal bones of skull; lateral extrascapular bones that enclose the confluence of the posttemporal, supratemporal, and otic sensory canals; elongate dorsal rostral bones; border rostral bones distinct in shape from dorsal rostral bones; greatly enlarged jugal that lacks a median flange; rostral canal bones that loop posteriorly at the anterior commissure of the rostral sensory canals; and the presence of an elongate, flat, and broad posterior ventral rostral bone. These similarities support a close relationship between A. stellatus and Pseudoscaphirhynchus, but still remain to be critically tested. |
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Keywords: | stellate sturgeon large Amu-Dar shovelnose sturgeon Acipenseriformes Chondrostei comparative osteology |
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