The major aim of this work is, to help clarify the interrelationships of catfishes, with major implications on the study of the general evolution of these fishes. A great part of this work, therefore, deals with a cladistic analysis of catfish higher-level phylogeny based on extensive morphological data, in which are included some terminal taxa not included in previous analyses, but principally a large number of characters traditionally excluded from those analyses, with particular attention being given to catfish morphology. This analysis gives particular importance to complex, integrated structures. It will be interest to students, ichthyologists and biologists working in evolution, taxonomy and phylogeny.

Contents......Page 10 1.1 PHYLOGENETIC POSITION WITHIN TELEOSTEI......Page 12 Family Amblycipitidae......Page 16 Family Ariidae......Page 18 Family Auchenipteridae......Page 19 Family Callichthyidae......Page 20 Family Claroteidae......Page 21 Family Doradidae......Page 22 Family Loricariidae......Page 23 Family Pangasiidae......Page 24 Family Schilbidae......Page 25 Family Trichomycteridae......Page 26 1.3 HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF HIGHER LEVEL PHYLOGENY OF CATFISHES......Page 27 1.4 CATFISH, AN EXCEPTIONAL BIOLOGICAL GROUP......Page 41 2.1 PHYLOGENETIC METHODOLOGY......Page 44 2.2 DELIMITATION OF TERMINAL TAXA......Page 48 2.3 MATERIAL, TECHNIQUES AND NOMENCLATURE......Page 54 3.1 CHARACTER DESCRIPTION AND COMPARISON......Page 58 Ventral Cephalic Musculature and Structures Associated with Mandibular Barbels......Page 59 Musculature Associated with Pectoral Girdle and Fins......Page 128 Neurocranium and Anterior Vertebrae......Page 133 Pectoral Girdle and Fins ......Page 155 Facial Musculature......Page 174 Splanchnocranium......Page 193 3.2 CLADISTIC ANALYSIS, DIAGNOSIS FOR CLADES, AND COMPARISON WITH PREVIOUS HYPOTHESES......Page 240 Clade 3 (All Genera Excluding Diplomystes, Nematogenys, Trichomycterus, Hatcheria, Callichthys, Cogdoras, Scoloplax, Astroblepus, Hypoptopoma, L oricaria, Lith oxus)......Page 251 Clade 4 (Nematogenys, Trichomycterus, Hatcheria, Callichthys, Corydoras, Scoloplax, Astroblepus, Hypoptopoma, Loricaria, Lithoxus)......Page 254 Clade 6 (Nematogenys)......Page 255 Clade 8 (Callichthys, Cotydoras, Scoloplax, Astroblepus, Hypoptopoma, Loricaria, Lithoxus)......Page 256 Clade 11 (ScolopIax)......Page 257 Clade 14 (Hypoptopoma, Ioricaria, Lithoxus)......Page 258 Clade 16 (All Genera Excluding Diplomystes, Nematogenys, Trichomycteru Hatcheria, Callichthys, Corydoras, Scoloplax, Astroblepus, Hypoptopoma, Loricaria, Lithoxus, Helogenes, Cetopsis, Hemicetopsis)......Page 259 Clade 17 (Helogenes, Cetopsis, Hemicetopsis)......Page 260 Clade 19 (All Genera Excluding Diplomystes, Nematogenys, Trichomycterus, Hatcheria, Callichthys, Corydoras, Scoloplax, Astroblepus, Hypoptopoma, Loricaria, Lithoxus, Helogenes, Cetopsis, Hemicetopsis, Wallago, Silurus)......Page 261 Clade 21 ( Helicophagus, Pangasius, Pseudeutropius, Schilbe, Laides, Ailia, Siluranodon, Cranoglanis, Amiurus, Ictalurus, Austroglanis, Ancharius, Anius, Genidens, Auchenoglanis, Chysichthys, Clarotes) ......Page 263 Clade 22 (Helicophagus, Pangasius, Pseudeutropius, Schilbe, Laides, Ailia, Siluranodon) ......Page 264 Clade 24 (Pseudeutropius, Schiibe, Laides, Aiiia, Siiuranodon)......Page 265 Clade 25 (Pseudeufropius, Schilbe)......Page 266 Clade 27 (Cranoglanis, Amiurus, Ictalurus, Austroglanis, Ancharius, Alrius, Genidens, Auchenoglanis, Chrysichthys, Clarotes)......Page 267 Clade 28 (Cranoglanis, Amiurus, Ictalurus)......Page 268 Clade 31 (Austroglanis, Ancharius, Arius, Genidens, Auchenoglanis, Chysichthys, Clarotes ......Page 269 Clade 32 (Austroglanis)......Page 270 Clade 33 (Ancharius, Arius, Genidens, Auchenoglanis, Chrysichthys, Clarotes)......Page 271 Clade 34 (Ancharius, Arius, Genidens)......Page 272 Clade 36 (Auchenoglanis, Chrysichthys, Clarotes)......Page 273 Clade 38......Page 274 Clade 40 (Malapterurus, Mochokus, Synodontis, Centromochlus, Ageneiosus, Auchenipterus, Franciscodoras, Anadoras, Doras, Acanthodoras)......Page 275 Clade 41 (Malapterurus)......Page 276 Clade 43 (Mochokus, Synodontis)......Page 277 Clade 46 (Ageneiosus, Auchenipterus)......Page 278 Clade 50 (Rita, Bagrichthys, Hemibagrus, Bagrus, Microglanis, Pseudopimelodus, Heptapterus, Rhamdia, Goeldiella, Pseudoplatystoma, Hypophthalmus, Pimelodus, Calophysus)......Page 279 Clade 51 (Rita, Bagrichthys, Hemibagrus, Bagrus) ......Page 280 Clade 54 (Microglanis, Pseudopimelodus, Heptapterus, Rhamdia, Goeldiella, Pseudoplatystoma, Hypophthalmus, Pimelodus, Calophysus)......Page 281 Clade 56 (Heptapterus, Rhamdia, Goeldiella, Pseudoplatystoma, Hypophthalmus, Pimelodus, Calophysus)......Page 282 Clade 59 (Pseudoplatystoma, Hypophthalmus, Pimelodus, Calophysus) ......Page 283 Clade 62......Page 284 Clade 63......Page 285 Clade 64 (Chaca, Uegitglanis, Heteropneustes, Clarias, Heterobranchus, Cnidoglanis, Neosilurus, Plotosus, Paraplotosus)......Page 286 Clade 66 (Uegitglanis, Heteropneustes, Clarias, Heterobranchus, Cnidoglanis, Neosilurus, Plotosus, Paraplotosus) ......Page 288 Clade 67 (Uegitglanis, Heteropneustes, Clarias Heterobranchus) ......Page 289 Clade 68 (Heteropneustes, Clarias, Heterobranchus) ......Page 290 Clade 72 (Plotosus, Paraplotosus)......Page 292 Clade 73 (Parakysis, Akysis, Amblyceps, Liobagrus, Gagata, Bagarius, Glyptosternon, Glyptothorax, Erethistes, Hara, Aspredo, Bunocephalus, Xyliphius) ......Page 293 Clade 74 (Amblyceps, Liobagrus)......Page 294 Clade 76 (Gagata, Bagarius, Glyptostemon, Glyptothorax, Erethistes, Hara, Aspredo, Bunocephalus, Xyliphius)......Page 295 Clade 78 (Glyptosternon, Glyptothorax)......Page 297 Clade 81 (Aspredo, Bunocephalus, Xyliphius)......Page 298 Clade 83 (Amphilius, Paramphilius, Leptoglanis, Zaireichthys, Doumea, Phractura, Andersonia, Belonoglanis, Trachyglanis)......Page 299 Clade 85 ( Leptoglanis, Zaireichthys, Doumea, Phractura, Andersonia, Belonoglanis, Trachyglanis) ......Page 301 Clade 87 (Dournea, Phractura, Andersonia, Belonoglanis, Trachyglanis) ......Page 302 Clade 90 (Belonoglanis, Trachyglanis)......Page 303 3.3 CHARACTER STATE CHANGES FOR INDIVIDUAL GENERA......Page 304 3.4 RESULTS OF PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS: MAJOR OUTLINES......Page 306 4. Higher-level Phylogeny and Macroevolution of Catfishes: A Discussion......Page 312 4.1 STRUCTURES ASSOCIATED WITH MOVEMENTS OF THE MANDIBULAR BARBELS......Page 314 4.2 PECTORAL GIRDLE COMPLEX......Page 322 4.3 ADDUCTOR MANDIBULAE COMPLEX......Page 335 4.4 PALATINE-MAXILLARY SYSTEM......Page 348 4.5 SUSPENSORIUM AND ASSOCIATED STRUCTURES ......Page 358 4.6 ELASTIC SPRING APPARATUS......Page 377 4.7 A DISCUSSION ON THE ORIGIN AND BIOGEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF CATFISHES......Page 383 Catfish Higher-level Phylogeny......Page 385 Physiology/Ecology ......Page 389 Plate Tectonics......Page 390 Palaeobiogeography of Siluriforms and Other Ostariophysans......Page 392 Catfish Sister-group......Page 395 Molecular Clocks......Page 397 5.1 PRIMARY HOMOLOGIES, SECONDARY HOMOLOGIES, AND A PRIORI VERSUS A POSTERIORI EXPLANATIONS IN EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY......Page 400 5.2 HOMOPLASIES, CONSISTENCY INDEX, AND COMPLEXITY OF MACROEVOLUTION......Page 407 5.3 FUNCTIONAL UNCOUPLINGS AND MORPHOLOGICAL MACROEVOLUTION ......Page 411 5.4 MYOLOGICAL VERSUS OSTEOLOGICAL CHARACTERS IN PHYLOGENETIC RECONSTRUCTIONS ......Page 414 5.5 ANALYSIS OF DISTINCT ANATOMICAL REGIONS IN PHYLOGENETIC RECONSTRUCTIONS AND THE CODING OF MULTISTATE CHARACTERS......Page 428 5.6 APTATIONS, EXAPTATIONS AND ADAPTATIONS IN MACROEVOLUTIONARY STUDIES......Page 440 5.7 PARALLELISMS, CONVERGENCES AND CONSTRAINTS IN MACROEVOLUTION ......Page 445 5.8 CORDELIA'S DILEMMA, HISTORICAL BIAS AND GENERAL EVOLUTIONARY TRENDS......Page 452 5.9 PUNCTUATED EQUILIBRIUM, SPECIATION, LIVING FOSSILS AND MACROEVOLUTION......Page 462 References......Page 472 List of Abbreviations......Page 492