Grey mullets are remarkably characterized by their overall uniform external morphology. Identifying species as well as positioning the Mugiliformes in a phylogenetic context is rather difficult. Most recently they were placed in the newly erected Ovalentaria, but more detailed relationships to potential sister taxa were not resolved. Studying the internal morphology, especially the osteology, might provide new insights into the evolution of the Mugiliformes as well as help clarify their phylogenetic position within the Ovalentaria. A detailed osteology of the golden grey mullet Liza aurata is presented. The use of cleared and stained specimens allowed for a complete examination of bony and cartilaginous structures, and a 3D reconstruction from a μCT data set provided additional information on the positional relationships of the bones. Following this, the data obtained were compared with different mugilid species, particularly with the flathead grey mullet Mugil cephalus. Several differences between these species could be identified, such as the position of the basisphenoid, the shape of the hyomandibular and the composition of the branchial arches. These characters might help in understanding the evolutionary changes happening within the mugiliforms and will provide the basis to study this taxon in detail, finally allowing the reconstruction of the body plan of grey mullets.

中文翻译：

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金灰鲻鱼 Liza aurata (Teleostei: Mugiliformes: Mugilidae) 的骨学，包括交互式 3D 重建

灰鲻鱼的显着特征是它们整体均匀的外部形态。在系统发育背景下识别物种以及定位 Mugiliformes 是相当困难的。最近，它们被放置在新建立的 Ovalentaria 中，但与潜在姊妹类群的更详细关系尚未解决。研究内部形态，尤其是骨学，可能会为 Mugiliformes 的进化提供新的见解，并有助于阐明它们在 Ovalentaria 中的系统发育位置。介绍了金灰色鲻鱼 Liza aurata 的详细骨学。使用透明和染色的标本可以对骨和软骨结构进行全面检查，从 μCT 数据集进行的 3D 重建提供了有关骨骼位置关系的额外信息。在此之后，获得的数据与不同的鲻鱼物种进行了比较，特别是与鲻鱼 Mugil cephalus。可以确定这些物种之间的几个差异，例如基蝶骨的位置、舌下颌的形状和鳃弓的组成。这些特征可能有助于了解鲻鱼内发生的进化变化，并将为详细研究该分类群提供基础，最终允许重建灰鲻鱼的身体计划。