Biology:Mesomyzon

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Short description: Extinct genus of lamprey

Mesomyzon
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous Barremian–Aptian
Mesomyzon mengae NMNS.jpg
Fossil specimen of M. mengae
Mesomyzon NT small.jpg
Life reconstruction of Mesomyzon mengae
Scientific classification
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Mesomyzon

Chang, Zhang & Miao 2006
Type species
Mesomyzon mengae
Chang, Zhang & Miao 2006

Mesomyzon mengae is an extinct lamprey from freshwater strata of the Early Cretaceous-aged Yixian Formation, in China .[1]

The animal's exquisitely preserved fossils show a creature very similar to modern-day lampreys, having a well-developed sucking oral disk, a branchial basket, at least seven pairs of gill pouches and corresponding gill arches, impressions of gill filaments, and at least 80 myomeres of its musculature.[1] It had the same three phase life cycle found in modern lampreys.[2]

A phylogenetic analysis conducted in 2018 shows that Mesomyzon is the fossil lamprey most closely related to modern taxa, though it is not closely related to any modern group.[3] On the other hand, Brownstein & Near (2022) found it to be a member of the lamprey crown group, most closely related to Petromyzontidae.[4] However, a 2023 study found it again to be a derived stem lamprey, with the earlier Yanliaomyzon from the same region found to be more closely related to modern lampreys. This study also suggested Mesomyzon to be a blood feeder.[2]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Chang, M. M.; Zhang, J.; Miao, D. (2006). "A lamprey from the Cretaceous Jehol biota of China". Nature 441 (7096): 972–974. doi:10.1038/nature04730. PMID 16791193. Bibcode2006Natur.441..972C. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 Wu, Feixiang; Janvier, Philippe; Zhang, Chi (2023-10-31). "The rise of predation in Jurassic lampreys" (in en). Nature Communications 14 (1): 6652. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-42251-0. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 10618186. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-42251-0. 
  3. Miyashita, Tetsuto; Coates, Michael I.; Farrar, Robert; Larson, Peter; Manning, Phillip L.; Wogelius, Roy A.; Edwards, Nicholas P.; Anné, Jennifer et al. (2019-02-05). "Hagfish from the Cretaceous Tethys Sea and a reconciliation of the morphological–molecular conflict in early vertebrate phylogeny" (in en). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 116 (6): 2146–2151. doi:10.1073/pnas.1814794116. ISSN 0027-8424. PMID 30670644. Bibcode2019PNAS..116.2146M. 
  4. Brownstein, C. D.; Near, T. J. (2022). "Phylogenetics and the Cenozoic radiation of lampreys". Current Biology 33 (2): 397–404.e3. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2022.12.018. PMID 36586410. 

Wikidata ☰ Q25094896 entry