[Taxacom] Class Amphibia classification

[Ken Kinman]

Dear All,
      I see that Tiktaalik was just mentioned in a new article in the New 
Scientist as a fish with feet (another way of saying "fishapod").  See the 
link at the bottom for that article.  I've tweaked my Amphibia 
classification a bit and added a few more taxa.

     I should note that clade Lissamphibia (the last four Orders 
Gymnophioniformes through Anuriformes) and its origins are still 
controversial.  Some workers would still have it evolving from 
Temnospondyliformes (which is how I coded it back in 1994).  Others might 
even still think Lissamphibia is polyphyletic, with some modern taxa 
evolving from temnospondyls and other modern taxa evolving from 
lepospondyls.  If new phylogenetic analyses show that either of those other 
possibilities are more likely, I would certainly recode the classification 
to reflect it.  Not going to hold my breathe though.

          CLASS AMPHIBIA%

1  Ichthyostegiformes%
         1  Plesion Tiktaalik
         ?  Pl. Livoniana
         2  Elginerpetontidae
         ?  Pl. Ventastega
         ?  Pl. Metaxygnathus
         3  Pl. Densignathus
         4  Acanthostegidae
         5  Ichthyostegidae
         6  Pl. Hynerpeton
         7  Tulerpetontidae
         ?  Whatcheeriidae
         8  Crassigyrinidae
         ?  Colosteidae
         9  Baphetidae (= Loxommatidae)
        10  {{Temnospondyliformes, etc.}}

_1_  Temnospondyliformes
2  Embolomeriformes ("anthracosaurs")
3  Seymouriiformes
4  Pl. Solenodonsaurus
5  Pl. Westlothiana
B  {{Amniota}} (= Reptilia, thence to Mammalia and Aves)
6  Aistopodiformes
7  Nectriformes
8  Microsauriformes%
_1_ Lysorophiformes
2  Gymnophioniformes (caecilians)
3  Albanerpetontiformes (= Allocaudata)
4  Urodeliformes (salamanders and newts)
5  Anuriformes (= Salientia)
********************************
     Tiktaalik discussed in the following new article:

http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/mg19426053.600-ancient-gene-kit-came-in-handy-for-limbs.html>

_________________________________________________________________
More photos, more messages, more storage—get 2GB with Windows Live Hotmail. 
http://imagine-windowslive.com/hotmail/?locale=en-us&ocid=TXT_TAGHM_migration_HM_mini_2G_0507