3D geometric morphometric analysis using fossil otoliths of Sciaenidae (Osteichthyes, Actinpoterygii)

Recent research has focused on integrating evolutionary observations from fish fossils with developmental data from living fish to improve our understanding of vertebrate phylogeny and evolution. Various approaches have been developed to quantify the relationship between morphology and phylogeny. However, there is still limited knowledge on how these approaches can be used to infer phylogeny. This study uses the three-dimensional (3D) geometric morphometric approach to determine phylogenetic signals and infer phylogenies between fish species using otolith shape. The taxon-specific morphology of fish otoliths makes them ideal for this study. We focus on Sciaenidae, given their abundance and diversity and use both modern and fossil otoliths. This presentation introduces a newly developed protocol to quantify otolith shape allowing us to create a detailed virtual representation and examine structures of the otolith without risking damage to the fossil. Our preliminary results suggest that high-density morphometrics could be a valuable tool in inferring phylogeny, allowing us to determine relationship between organisms. This is vital for accurately classifying and categorizing different species and identifying key traits based on their evolutionary history, which is important for their adaptation to a changing environment.