Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil Publishers, January 2022
Kathryn E. Mickle, PhD, Associate Program Director of Pre-Medical Studies and Associate Professor of Biology at the Jefferson College of Life Sciences
Actinopterygians, or ray-finned fishes, have bony skeletons and fins supported by thin rays. Actinopterygians account for the majority of today’s living fishes and are among the most diverse vertebrates on the planet. They include familiar fishes such as salmon, anglerfish, and seahorses, but their long history dates back 400 million years. In a new installment of the Handbook of Paleoichthyology, biology professor Dr. Mickle, and co-authors Hans-Peter Schultze, Cecile Poplin, Eric J. Hilton and Lance Grande chronicle the fossil record of a large group of fossil rayfinned fishes referred to as palaeoniscoids. In addition, living polypterids and chondrosteans and their fossil relatives are examined. This volume of the Handbook of Paleoichthyology is a valuable resource for scientists, offering detailed illustrations and insight into how the diverse aquatic life of the modern age came to be.
