Includes bibliographical references (p. [215]-220) and index
内容説明・目次
内容説明
This work traces the evolutionary history of fishes over the course of 500 million years, from armoured fishes and monster sharks to fishes with arms that breathe air. It describes the discovery of fossil remains and explains the techniques used in their interpretation.
目次
Part 1 Enigmatic fossils - heads or tails?: the origins of fishes
tunicates (urochordates)
lancelets (cephalochordates)
the conodonts - enigmatic fossils
the mitrates - strange allies of the vertebrates?
bone - its early beginnings
gills. Part 2 Jawless wonders - the first fishes: the agnatha
the oldest fishes - ordovician agnathans
the heterostraci - a great radiation
anaspida - forerunners of lampreys
thelodonti - the scales tell the tales
the gelaspida - mysterious oriental agnathans
pituriaspida - a newly discovered class of vertebrates
osteostracans - the pinnacle of jawless achievement
the end of the jawless empire
links to the first jawed fishes
basic structure of primitive agnathans
fish teeth. Part 3 Sharks and their kin - killers from way back: class chondrichthyes
the origin of sharks
the late palaeozoic chondrichthyan radiation
humble beginnings of modern chondrichthyan faunas
holocephalans - an early radiation
the rays shine through
basic structure of primitive chondrichthyans. Part 4 Extinct spiny fins - the acanthodii: the origins and affinities of acanthodians
the climatiiformes - armoured and adorned acanthodians
the ischnacanthiformes - the predators
acanthodiformes - filter-feeders and survivors
basic structure of an acanthodian. Part 5 Armoured fishes and fishes with arms: class placodermi
placoderm origins and relationships
the stensioellida and the pseudo-petalichthyida - early enigmatics
the rhenanida and the acanthothoraci - elaborately armoured ones
the ptyctodontida - crushing teeth and spiky clasper
the petalichthyida and their odd relatives
the flat and fearsome phyllolepida
the arthrodira - the great placoderm success story
the antiarchi - always at arms length
basic structure of placoderm
gogo fishes and the acid preparation technique
reproduction and the origins of vertebrate sex. Part 6 True bony fishes and their origins: class osteichthyes
lophosteiforms - enigmatic ancestors of bony fishes
the oldest true osteichthyans
basic structure of an osteichthyan. Part 7 Ray-finned fishes - a winning formula: the actino-pterygii
Devonian ray-finned fishes
the rise of the primitive ray-fins
neopterygii - the dawning of success
teleosteans - their early beginnings
basic structure of a primitive ray-finned fish
fishes and dinosaurs - life in a mesozoic ecosystem. Part 8 Lungfishes - fishes that breathe: the dipnoi
lungfish origins
dipnoan diversity - the denticle shedders
dentine-covered palates - the early crushers
refined feeding mechanisms
basic structure of primitive dipnoan
the origin of lungs. Part 9 Big teeth - strong fins: class osteichthyes, subclass crossopterygii
primitive crossopterygians
the coelacanths (actinistia)
the extinct porolepiformes
the dagger-toothed fishes (onychodontiformes)
giant killers of the carboniferous - rhizodontiforms
fishes leading to land animals - osteolepiformes. (Part contents).