A review of Australia’s Mesozoic fishes

© 2020 Geological Society of Australia Inc., Australasian Palaeontologists. The Australian Mesozoic fish fauna is considered to be depauperate in comparison with fish faunas in the Northern Hemisphere. However, due to its geographical location as a potential radiation center in the Southern Hemisphe...

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Main Authors: Berrell, Rodney, Boisvert, Catherine, Trinajstic, Kate, Siversson, M., Alvarado-Ortega, J., Cavin, L., Salisbury, S.W., Kemp, A.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/81135
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author Berrell, Rodney
Boisvert, Catherine
Trinajstic, Kate
Siversson, M.
Alvarado-Ortega, J.
Cavin, L.
Salisbury, S.W.
Kemp, A.
author_facet Berrell, Rodney
Boisvert, Catherine
Trinajstic, Kate
Siversson, M.
Alvarado-Ortega, J.
Cavin, L.
Salisbury, S.W.
Kemp, A.
author_sort Berrell, Rodney
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description © 2020 Geological Society of Australia Inc., Australasian Palaeontologists. The Australian Mesozoic fish fauna is considered to be depauperate in comparison with fish faunas in the Northern Hemisphere. However, due to its geographical location as a potential radiation center in the Southern Hemisphere, Australia’s Mesozoic fish fauna is important for understanding fish radiations. Most of the modern fish groups originated during the Mesozoic, but the first records of a modern fish fauna (freshwater and marine) in Australia does not occur until the lower Paleogene. Here, we review all known fossil fish-bearing localities from the Mesozoic of Australia, to improve the understanding of the record. The apparent low Australian Mesozoic fish diversity is likely due to its understudied status of the constituent fossils rather than to a depauperate record. In addition, we review recent work with the aim of placing the Australian Mesozoic fish fauna in a global context. We review the taxonomy of Australian fossil fishes and conclude that the assignments of many actinopterygians need major revision within a modern phylogenetic context. The vast majority of chondrichthyans are yet to be formally described; to the contrary all of the known lungfish specimens have been described. This study considers the microscopic and fragmented remains of Mesozoic fish already found in Australia, allowing a more complete view of the diversity of the fishes that once inhabited this continent.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-811352021-01-19T02:07:57Z A review of Australia’s Mesozoic fishes Berrell, Rodney Boisvert, Catherine Trinajstic, Kate Siversson, M. Alvarado-Ortega, J. Cavin, L. Salisbury, S.W. Kemp, A. Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Paleontology Mesozoic fishes Australian Gondwana diversity NEW-SOUTH-WALES PACHYRHIZODUS-CANINUS COPE EROMANGA BASIN GEARLE SILTSTONE LIGHTNING RIDGE ACTINOPTERYGIAN FISH COAL MEASURES SURAT BASIN 1ST RECORD SP-NOV © 2020 Geological Society of Australia Inc., Australasian Palaeontologists. The Australian Mesozoic fish fauna is considered to be depauperate in comparison with fish faunas in the Northern Hemisphere. However, due to its geographical location as a potential radiation center in the Southern Hemisphere, Australia’s Mesozoic fish fauna is important for understanding fish radiations. Most of the modern fish groups originated during the Mesozoic, but the first records of a modern fish fauna (freshwater and marine) in Australia does not occur until the lower Paleogene. Here, we review all known fossil fish-bearing localities from the Mesozoic of Australia, to improve the understanding of the record. The apparent low Australian Mesozoic fish diversity is likely due to its understudied status of the constituent fossils rather than to a depauperate record. In addition, we review recent work with the aim of placing the Australian Mesozoic fish fauna in a global context. We review the taxonomy of Australian fossil fishes and conclude that the assignments of many actinopterygians need major revision within a modern phylogenetic context. The vast majority of chondrichthyans are yet to be formally described; to the contrary all of the known lungfish specimens have been described. This study considers the microscopic and fragmented remains of Mesozoic fish already found in Australia, allowing a more complete view of the diversity of the fishes that once inhabited this continent. 2020 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/81135 10.1080/03115518.2019.1701078 English TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD restricted
spellingShingle Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Paleontology
Mesozoic
fishes
Australian
Gondwana
diversity
NEW-SOUTH-WALES
PACHYRHIZODUS-CANINUS COPE
EROMANGA BASIN
GEARLE SILTSTONE
LIGHTNING RIDGE
ACTINOPTERYGIAN FISH
COAL MEASURES
SURAT BASIN
1ST RECORD
SP-NOV
Berrell, Rodney
Boisvert, Catherine
Trinajstic, Kate
Siversson, M.
Alvarado-Ortega, J.
Cavin, L.
Salisbury, S.W.
Kemp, A.
A review of Australia’s Mesozoic fishes
title A review of Australia’s Mesozoic fishes
title_full A review of Australia’s Mesozoic fishes
title_fullStr A review of Australia’s Mesozoic fishes
title_full_unstemmed A review of Australia’s Mesozoic fishes
title_short A review of Australia’s Mesozoic fishes
title_sort review of australia’s mesozoic fishes
topic Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Paleontology
Mesozoic
fishes
Australian
Gondwana
diversity
NEW-SOUTH-WALES
PACHYRHIZODUS-CANINUS COPE
EROMANGA BASIN
GEARLE SILTSTONE
LIGHTNING RIDGE
ACTINOPTERYGIAN FISH
COAL MEASURES
SURAT BASIN
1ST RECORD
SP-NOV
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/81135