The oldest gnathostome teeth

Plamen Andreev, Ivan Sansom, Qiang Li, Wenjin Zhao, Jianhua Wang, Chun-Chieh Wang, Lijian Peng, Liantao Jia, Tuo Qiao, Min Zhu*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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Abstract

Mandibular teeth and dentitions are features of jawed vertebrates that were first acquired by the Palaeozoic ancestors of living chondrichthyans and osteichthyans. The fossil record currently points to the latter part of the Silurian (circa 425 million years ago) as a minimum date for the appearance of gnathostome teeth and to the evolution of growth and replacement mechanisms of mandibular dentitions in the subsequent Devonian Period. Here we provide the earliest direct evidence for jawed vertebrates by describing Qianodus duplicis, a new genus and species of a lower Silurian gnathostome based on isolated tooth whorls from Guizhou Province, China. The whorls possess non-shedding teeth arranged in a pair of rows that demonstrate a number of features found in modern gnathostome groups. These include lingual addition of teeth in offset rows and maintenance of this patterning throughout whorl development. Our data extend the record of toothed gnathostomes by 14 million years from the upper Silurian into the lower Silurian (circa 439 million years ago) and are significant in documenting the initial diversification of vertebrates. They add to mounting fossil evidence supporting an earlier emergence of jawed vertebrates as part of the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)964-968
Number of pages5
JournalNature
Volume609
Issue number7929
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 28 Sept 2022

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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