Feeding structures in the ray-finned fish Eurynotus crenatus (Actinopterygii: Eurynotiformes): implications for trophic diversification among Carboniferous actinopterygians by Friedman, M, Pierce, S, Coates, M, Giles, S

“…The Permo-Carboniferous eurynotiforms show conspicuous modifications to postcranial and cranial morphology relative to primitive actinopterygian conditions, and represent an important early example of functional experimentation within ray-finned fishes. …”

A newly recognized fossil coelacanth highlights the early morphological diversification of the clade. by Friedman, M, Coates, M

“…A cladistic analysis places Holopterygius as the sister taxon of the Carboniferous (Serpukhovian) genus Allenypterus. Despite the specialized morphology of these genera, they occupy a surprisingly basal position in coelacanth phylogeny; only Diplocercides and Miguashaia are further removed from the crown. …”

Ever Since Owen: Changing Perspectives on the Early Evolution of Tetrapods by Coates, M, Ruta, M, Friedman, M

“…The fish-to-tetrapod morphological transition occurred within the Upper Devonian; the divergence of modern tetrapod groups is an Early Carboniferous event. Modern tetrapods emerged in the aftermath of one of the five major extinction episodes in the fossil record, but the earlier Devonian tetrapod radiation is not well understood. …”

A newly recognized fossil coelacanth highlights the early morphological diversification of the clade by Friedman, M, Coates, M

“…A cladistic analysis places Holopterygius as the sister taxon of the Carboniferous (Serpukhovian) genus Allenypterus. Despite the specialized morphology of these genera, they occupy a surprisingly basal position in coelacanth phylogeny; only Diplocercides and Miguashaia are further removed from the crown. …”

A survey of palaeontological sampling biases in fishes based on the Phanerozoic record of Great Britain by Lloyd, G, Friedman, M

“…There are broad similarities between British richness trajectories and those compiled from global data, including an initial peak in the mid-Palaeozoic (Devonian or Carboniferous, depending on the compilation), with a late Palaeozoic trough followed by a sharp rise in diversity in the Late Cretaceous and Paleogene. …”

Devonian vertebrates from East Greenland: A review of faunal composition and distribution by Blom, H, Clack, J, Ahlberg, P, Friedman, M

“…Typical Devonian taxa such as Holoptychius Agassiz, 1839 and Groenlandaspis Heintz, 1932 have apparently been recorded in an otherwise unique position above the Devonian-Carboniferous boundary in the upper part of the succession. …”

Early members of ‘living fossil’ lineage imply later origin of modern ray-finned fishes by Giles, S, Xu, G, Near, T, Friedman, M

“…These new dates are broadly consistent with our revised palaeontological timescale and coincident with an interval of conspicuous morphological and taxonomic diversification among ray-fins centred on the Devonian–Carboniferous boundary. A shifting timescale, combined with ambiguity in the relationships of late Palaeozoic actinopterygians, highlights this part of the fossil record as a major frontier in understanding the evolutionary assembly of modern vertebrate diversity.…”