MicroCT survey of larval skeletal mineralization in the Cuban gar Atractosteus tristoechus (Actinopterygii; Lepisosteiformes)

Raphaël Scherrer , Andrés Hurtado, Erik Garcia Machado and Mélanie Debiais-Thibaud

Using X-ray microtomography, we describe the ossification events during the larval development of a non-teleost actinopterygian species: the Cuban gar Atractosteus tristoechus from the order Lepisosteiformes. We provide a detailed developmental series for each anatomical structure, covering a large sequence of mineralization events going from an early stage (13 days post-hatching, 21mm total length) to an almost fully ossified larval stage (118dph or 87mm in standard length). With this work, we expect to bring new developmental data to be used in further comparative studies with other lineages of bony vertebrates. We also hope that the on-line publication of these twelve successive 3D reconstructions, fully labelled and flagged, will be an educational tool for all students in comparative anatomy. 

Atractosteus tristoechus At1-13dph View specimen

M3#94 At1-13dph : 13 dph larvae, 21 mm TL Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.94   state:published

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Atractosteus tristoechus At2-16dph View specimen

M3#95 Atractosteus tristoechus larva, 16 dph, 26mm SL. Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.95   state:published

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Atractosteus tristoechus At3-19dph View specimen

M3#96 Atractosteus tristoechus larva, 19 dph, 27mm SL. Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.96   state:published

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Atractosteus tristoechus At4-22dph View specimen

M3#97 Atractosteus tristoechus larva, 22dph, 30mm SL. Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.97   state:published

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Atractosteus tristoechus At5-26dph View specimen

M3#98 Atractosteus tristoechus larva, 26 dph, 32mm SL. Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.98   state:published

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Atractosteus tristoechus At6-31dph View specimen

M3#99 Atractosteus tristoechus larva, 31 dph, 39mm SL. Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.99   state:published

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Atractosteus tristoechus At7-37dph View specimen

M3#100 Atractosteus tristoechus larva, 37 dph, 43mm SL. Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.100   state:published

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Atractosteus tristoechus At8-52dph View specimen

M3#101 Atractosteus tristoechus larva, 52 dph, 46mm SL. Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.101   state:published

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Atractosteus tristoechus At9-74dph View specimen

M3#102 Atractosteus tristoechus larva, 74 dph, 61mm SL. Not all structures are colored, only newly ossified ones. Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.102   state:published

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Atractosteus tristoechus At10-89dph View specimen

M3#103 Atractosteus tristoechus larva, 89 dph, 63mm SL. Not all structures are colored, only newly ossified ones. You may find the tag file in the At1-13dph reconstruction data. Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.103   state:published

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Atractosteus tristoechus At11-104dph View specimen

M3#104 Atractosteus tristoechus larva, 104 dph, 70mm SL. Not all structures are colored, only newly ossified ones. Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.104   state:published

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Atractosteus tristoechus At12-118dph View specimen

M3#105 Atractosteus tristoechus larva, 118 dph, 87mm SL. Type: "3D_surfaces" doi: 10.18563/m3.sf.105   state:published

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