Journal
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
Volume 189, Issue 2, Pages 700-711Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa039
Keywords
Crocodylia; Crocodyliformes; cryptic species; fossils; morphological systematics; palaeontology; species concepts; species delineation; taxonomy
Categories
Funding
- US National Science Foundation (NSF) [DEB 1257786]
- Leakey Foundation
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Advances in molecular biology and genetics are revealing that many recognized crocodylian species are complexes of two or more cryptic species. These discoveries will have a profound impact on interpretation of the crocodyliform fossil record. Our understanding of ranges of intraspecific variation in modern crocodylian morphology may be based on multiple species and thus express both intraspecific and interspecific variation. This raises questions about our ability to recognize modern species in the fossil record, and it also indicates that specimens from disparate localities or horizons may represent not single widespread species, but multiple related species. Ranges of variation in modern species require a thorough re-evaluation, and we may have to revisit previous perceptions of past crocodyliform diversity, rates of evolution or anagenetic lineages in stratigraphic succession. These challenges will not be unique to those studying crocodyliforms and will require sophisticated approaches to variation among modern and fossil specimens.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available