The origination and rise of teleost otolith diversity during the Mesozoic

Abstract

The development of an improved hearing sense in teleosts as expressed in fossil otoliths may have been one important element in the success of their evolution. Hence, fossil otoliths add valuable information to paleoichthyology. Teleost otolith morphology, however, has initially diversified very slowly during the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous and accelerated only during major phases of teleost radiation in Late Cretaceous and Paleogene times.

Keywords

• otolith
• macula sacculi
• morphological disparity