AUSICH, W.I., KAMMER, T.W., RHENBERG, E.C., WRIGHT, D.F. 2015. Early phylogeny of crinoids within the pelmatozoan clade. Palaeontology, 58, 6, 937-952. DOI: 10.1111/pala.12204
William I. Ausich, Thomas W. Kammer, Elizabeth C. Rhenberg, and David F. Wright- William I. Ausich - The Ohio State University School of Earth Sciences Columbus OH USA (Email: ausich.1@osu.edu)
- Thomas W. Kammer - West Virginia University Department of Geology and Geography Morgantown WV USA (Email: tkammer@wvu.edu)
- Elizabeth C. Rhenberg - Earlham College Department of Geology Richmond IN USA (Email: rhenbel@earlham.edu)
- David F. Wright - The Ohio State University School of Earth Sciences Columbus OH USA (Email: wright.1433@buckeyemail.osu.edu)
- Issue published online: 27 October 2015
- Article first published online: 01 January 1970
- Manuscript Accepted: 24 August 2015
- Manuscript Received: 02 June 2015
Phylogenetic relationships among early crinoids are evaluated by maximizing parsimonious‐informative characters that are unordered and unweighted. Primarily Tremadocian–Darriwilian (Early–Middle Ordovician) taxa are analysed. Stratigraphic congruence metrics support the best phylogenetic hypothesis derived using parsimony methods. This study confirms the traditionally recognized lineages of Palaeozoic crinoids and provides new information on the branching order of evolving lineages. Camerates are basal crinoids with progressively more tipward groups (from an Ordovician perspective) being protocrinoids, cladids (paraphyletic), hybocrinids and disparids. The Protocrinoida should be maintained, but the Aethocrinida should be placed within the Cladida. The results of this study identify phylogenetic structure amongst the major early crinoid lineages and delineate the relative positions of crinoid higher taxa along a tree. Each valid higher taxon discussed herein requires a comprehensive treatment to delimit within‐lineage phylogenetic relationships.
Data for this study are available in the Dryad Digital Repository http://morphobank.org/permalink/P2182 Wiley Online Library (Free Access)