We found a match
Your institution may have rights to this item. Sign in to continue.
- Title
The axial skeleton of the Devonian tetrapod Ichthyostega.
- Authors
Ahlberg, Per Erik; Clack, Jennifer A.; Blom, Henning
- Abstract
Ichthyostega was the first Devonian tetrapod to be subject to a whole-body reconstruction. It remains, together with Acanthostega, one of only two Devonian tetrapods for which near-complete postcranial material is available. It is thus crucially important for our understanding of the earliest stages of tetrapod evolution and terrestrialization. Here we show a new reconstruction of Ichthyostega based on extensive re-examination of original material and augmented by recently collected specimens. Our reconstruction differs substantially from those previously published and reveals hitherto unrecognized regionalization in the vertebral column. Ichthyostega is the earliest vertebrate to show obvious adaptations for non-swimming locomotion. Uniquely among early tetrapods, the presacral vertebral column shows pronounced regionalization of neural arch morphology, suggesting that it was adapted for dorsoventral rather than lateral flexion.
- Subjects
ICHTHYOSTEGA; BIOLOGICAL evolution; SKELETON; ANIMAL swimming; ANIMAL locomotion; ANIMAL morphology
- Publication
Nature, 2005, Vol 437, Issue 7055, p137
- ISSN
0028-0836
- Publication type
Letter
- DOI
10.1038/nature03893