Mosaic of plesiomorphic and derived characters in an Eocene myliobatiform batomorph (Chondrichthyes Elasmobranchii) from Italy defines a new basal body plan in pelagic stingrays

摘要

BackgroundEnd-Cretaceous niche-filling by benthic Mesozoic survivors resulted in a prominent increase of durophagous fish families, resulting in the appearance of the earliest representatives of several extant fish lineages, including the pelagic durophagous stingrays, a monophyletic clade of myliobatiform batoids that is characterized by a derived swimming mode and feeding habits. Although the earliest members appeared in the Late Cretaceous, most of the crown genera date back to the Eocene.