Identification of the notothenioid sister lineage illuminates the biogeographic history of an Antarctic adaptive radiation

Table 1 Character states for major morphological features of adult Percophis brasiliensis and major lineages of Notothenioidea based on radiographs, ethanol preserved and cleared and stained specimens

	Swim bladder	Floating posterior pleural ribs	Nostrils on each side of head	Pectoral radials	Ecto-pterygoid teeth	Palatine teeth	Ocular choroid rete	Persistent choroid fissure
Percophidae
Percophis brasiliensis	−	−	2	4	−	+	+	?^a
Bovichtidae
Bovichtus diacanthus	−	+	1	3	−	+	+	+
B. variegatus	−	+	1	3	−	+	+	+
Cottoperca trigloides	−	+	1	3	−	+	+	+
Halaphritis platycephala ^b	−	+	1	3	−	+	?	?
Pseudaphritidae
Pseudaphritis urvillii	−	+	1^c	3	+^d	+	+	−
Eleginopsidae
Eleginops maclovinus	−	+	1	3	−	−	+	−
Nototheniidae	−	+	1	3	−	−	+ or−	−^e
Other families of Cryonotothenioidea	−	+	1	3	−	−	−or ±	−^e

Key to symbols and footnotes: +, present; −, absent; ±, vestigial; ?, unknown; ^aQuality of specimen preservation not sufficient to determine presence/absence; ^bData from [48] and A.V. Balushkin (personal communication to J.T. Eastman on the presence of floating posterior pleural ribs in Halaphritis); ^cLarvae of 16.5 mm SL have two nostrils ([76]: p. 64); ^dIn agreement with ([23] p. 43–44), ectopterygoid teeth were present in the three alizarin-stained specimens we examined; ^eDistal part of choroid fissure persists in Gobionotothen gibberifrons and Dolloidraco longedorsalis [111]

ISSN: 2730-7182