Systematics, Ontogeny, Osteology and Historical             Biogeography of Paddlefishes (Chondrostei:  Polyodontidae)
{'Code': '08010207', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'BIO', 'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'DEB', 'LongName': 'Division Of Environmental Biology'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Scott L. Collins', 'PO_EMAI': None, 'PO_PHON': None}
Despite the small size of this family of fishes, the                      paddlefishes or Polyodontidae are of great interest to                          comparative anatomists and paelontologists.  The two living                     species occur in the Yangtze river of China and in the                          Mississippi, and several fossil taxa are known from western North               America.  Drs. Bemis and Grande are studying the anatomy of the                 living and fossil species as well as the ontogeny of the living                 forms, to determine their phylogeny and historical biogeography.                They are focusing on three major topics: 1. The evolutionary                    relationships among fossil and living paddlefishes and their                    significance for studies of other ray-finned fishes; 2. The                     origin of extreme anatomical specializations, as represented by                 modifications for filter feeding and elaboration of                             electoreceptors; and 3. The extraordinary disjunct distribution                 of paddlefishes in North America and China.                                          Three practical factors make the study possible and timely:                1. Recent collecting efforts in Wyoming have produced a series of               unusually well-preserved fossil paddlefishes; 2. A new fossil                   species from Montana has become available for analysis; and 3.                  Methods developed by public fish hatcheries for the culture of                  paddlefish allow the study of large series of developmental                     stages.  Results from this comprehensive comparative anatomical                 study of living and fossil forms will improve understanding of                  the evolutionary history of ray-finned fishes in general and of                 the peculiar paddlefishes in particular.
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{'Name': 'University of Massachusetts Amherst', 'CityName': 'AMHERST', 'ZipCode': '010039252', 'PhoneNumber': '4135450698', 'StreetAddress': '101 COMMONWEALTH AVE', 'StreetAddress2': None, 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Massachusetts', 'StateCode': 'MA', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '02', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'MA02', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': 'VGJHK59NMPK9', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS', 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': 'VGJHK59NMPK9'}
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{'Code': '1127', 'Text': 'Evolutionary Processes'}
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