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The erroneous chondrichthyan egg case assignments from the Devonian: implications for the knowledge on the evolution of the reproductive strategy within chondrichthyans

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Abstract

Spiraxis interstrialis, and its junior synonym Fayolia mourloni, an uppermost Famennian (Upper Devonian) fossil first described as algae and subsequently interpreted as the oldest known chondrichthyan egg case, is reinvestigated based on the discovery of several additional specimens in Belgian collections. New data, in particular from micro-CT imaging, allow to refute S. interstrialis, and by extension also Spiraxis major (the type species of Spiraxis Newberry, non Adams) and Spiraxis randalli from the Famennian of New York and Pennsylvania, as chondrichthyan egg cases. Alternative interpretations of these enigmatic helicoidal fossils are discussed. The first occurrence of oviparity in the fossil record of chondrichthyans is thus not as old as previously thought and is close to the first occurrence of viviparity in this group, both being recognised now in the Mississippian. The question of which of both conditions is plesiomorphic within chondrichthyans, and more widely within vertebrates, is discussed. Also, the presence of the genus Spiraxis in both the USA (east coast) and Belgium reinforces the strong faunal resemblance already observed in both palaeogeographical areas. It suggests important faunal exchanges between these regions of the Euramerica landmass during the Famennian.

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Data availability

All studied specimens are housed in official repositories guaranteeing their long-term safekeeping and availability to other researchers for future studies. Metadata and 3D models of the specimens from the RBINS can be consulted via the RBINS Virtual Collections Platform (http://virtualcollections.naturalsciences.be/). The primary scanning data and the set of Y slices are stored on Belspo’s LTP platform and can be consulted upon request to the RBINS palaeontology collection manager.

Code availability

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Bernard Lorent and Jean-Claude Genard (CGF), Julien Denayer and Valentin Fischer (University of Liège), Marleen De Ceukelaire and Annelise Folie (RBINS), and Michael Donoghue and Shusheng Hu (YPM) for giving access to collections under their care or information related to them. We also thank Michael Amler (University of Cologne, Köln, Germany), Gilles Cuny (Claude Bernard University, Lyon, France), Edward B. Daeschler (Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA), Bernard Delcambre (Service géologique de Wallonie, Jambes, Belgium), Jan Fischer (Urweltmuseum GEOSKOP, Thallichtenberg, Germany), Christian Klug (University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland), Albert Kollar (Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburg, PA, USA), Edouard Poty (ULiège, Belgium), and Alfred Uchman (Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland) for valuable discussions and thoughtful suggestions. Object Research Systems (ORS), Montreal, Canada (http://www.theobjects.com/), are thanked for allowing the use of their Dragonfly ORS (Version 4.10 for Windows) software. The manuscript benefited from the thorough reviews of Jan Fischer and two anonymous reviewers and from the editorial help of Matthias Waltert.

Funding

This paper benefited largely from funding supplied by the Belgian Science Policy Office (Belspo), and in particular of the Belspo-funded DiSSCo-Fed (SG, PI Patrick Semal) and B2/202/P1/VERTIGO (SO, PI BM) projects, of which this paper is an official outcome.

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Correspondence to Bernard Mottequin or Sébastien Olive.

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Mottequin, B., Goolaerts, S., Hunt, A.P. et al. The erroneous chondrichthyan egg case assignments from the Devonian: implications for the knowledge on the evolution of the reproductive strategy within chondrichthyans. Sci Nat 108, 36 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-021-01751-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-021-01751-z

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