Anatomy and evolutive patterns of the tail musculatare in Carcharhinidae (Carcharhiniformes:Condrichthyes)

• Grant number: 14/13023-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2014
• End date: August 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Morphology of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Rodrigues de Carvalho
• Grantee: Lucas Romero de Oliveira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This paper proposes to understand what are the morphological characteristics and evolutionary patterns of pre-caudal musculature within Carcharhinidae and Sphyrnidae (Carcharhiniformes: Elasmobranchii). To do so, dissection of the caudal region of members of these families will be made to observe their pre-caudal musculature; it will be observed, drawn and compared to elucidate the issues related to positioning Sphyrnidae (inside or outside Carcharhinidae) and what are the groupings of genera in Carcharhinidae. The patterns of pre-caudal musculature will be dissected, observed and interpreted in at least eight genera of the family Carcharhinidae and at least 14 genera out of this, with some out of Carcharhiniformes for comparison and establishment of unique patterns of the families concerned. There are commonly described three muscles caudal to the sharks in the taxon Galeomorphii group within which are the Carchahriniformes. Preliminary observations indicate, however, the possibility of the presence of a muscle in a fourth pre-caudal region, where the identity of this muscle is investigated. Thus, it is expected to contribute to the understanding of the phylogenetic relationships of the genera of Carcharhiniformes and in particular the Carcharhinidae family using a complex of morphological characters hitherto unexplored in phylogenies.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DE OLIVEIRA, LUCAS ROMERO; DE CARVALHO, MARCELO RODRIGUES; SOARES, MATEUS COSTA. Caudal musculature in ground sharks, Carcharhiniformes, with remarks on their phylogenetic interrelationships. Journal of Morphology, v. 280, n. 1, p. 68-77, JAN 2019. (14/13023-1)