Phylogeny of the basal Clupeocephala

More and more is known about the fish tree, but there are two big areas where the genealogical relationships are not solved. The broadly derived perchorpha (Percomorpha) and the basal clupeocephala located further down in the family tree. The last group has well-known representatives of the family herring, salmon and carp but also lesser-known fish species. The fish collection of the German Oceanographic Museum makes it possible to study this comprehensive species. In this project are used the most modern methods: morphology is done using light-up preparations, antibody staining and CT scans, molecularly using next-generation sequencing techniques. Morphologically, the ontogenesis of skeletal, muscle and nervous systems are at the centre of the investigations. Molecular, the focus is on nuclear genes that are sequenced in large numbers. The aim of the project is to create morphological and molecular-based relational hypotheses, to clearly identify the natural groups (monophyletic taxa), to estimate the age of the taxa and to better understand the evolution of the fish.