The coelacanth, Undina, enters the LRT with a question

Here the century-old engraving
of Undina penicilliata (Fig 1) doesn’t quite match the in situ fossil (Fig 1) wherein the pelvic fins were barely, if at all preserved OR the pelvic fins had migrated anteriorly below the pectoral fins, as in some ray-fin fish.

What are your thoughts?

In other specimens attributed to this genus
pelvic fins are present as usual between and below the two dorsal fins and they are substantial, as in the engraving not vestiges. Given the data from sources other than the fossil shown here (Fig 1) the pelvic fins were vestiges in the specimen or lost taphonomically (perhaps to be found on the counterplate).

Undina penicillata
(Münster 1834, Jurassic, 155 mya) is a sister to Early Devonian Dialipina in the large reptile tree (LRT, 2217 taxa). Here the maxilla is a vestige. In more derived coelcanths the maxilla is absent.

References
Münster GG 1834. Mitteilungen an Professor Bronn gerichtet.– Neues Jahrbuch fr Mineralogie, Geognosie, Geologie und Petrefakten-Kunde 1834: 538–542.

wiki/Undina – not yet posted

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.