9510735 Didier The purpose od this research is to determine phylogenetic relationships among fossil and living chimaeroid fishes. This research focuses on musculoskeletal features of the jaws, skull, gill arches, and dentition. The analysis will examine 29 living taxa, plus a presently unknown number of unidentified species, and 9 fossil taxa of chimaeroids in addition to two outgroup tax, one shark and one skate. Data is obtained using a variety of morphological preparations including dissection, skeletal preparation, cleaning and staining, and histology. Morphological characters are analyzed and scored in living and fossil taxa, and phylogenies generated and analyzed using the computer algorithm PAUP (Phylogenetic Analysis Using Parsimony). %%% The synthesis of morphological and paleontological information is the first species level phylogenetic analysis of this lineage. The description of at least 10 new species and a long overdue taxonomic revision of chimaeroid fishes are two important results of this work. Within this phylogenetic context, the discovery of new suites of characters related to jaw, skull and gill arch morphology will contribute important baseline anatomical information towards understanding the evolution and radiation of jaw suspensory mechanisms among early vertebrates. ***
