The importance of the appendicular skeleton for the phylogenetic reconstruction of lamniform sharks (Chondrichthyes: Elasmobranchii)

Lamniform sharks are one of the more conspicuous groups of elasmobranchs, including several emblematic taxa as the white shark. Although their monophyly is well supported, the interrelationships of taxa within Lamniformes remains controversial because of the conflict among various previous molecular‐based and morphology‐based phylogenetic hypotheses. In this study, we use 31 characters related to the appendicular skeleton of lamniforms and demonstrate their ability to resolve the systematic interrelationships within this shark order. In particular, the new additional skeletal characters resolve all polytomies that were present in previous morphology‐based phylogenetic analyses of lamniforms. Our study demonstrates the strength of incorporating new morphological data for phylogenetic reconstructions. The morphology of the appendicular skeleton of Lamniformes is thoroughly explored and its phylogenetic significance is tested. The proposition of 31 new characters and their incorporation in a previous morphological matrix helped elucidate the phylogenetic interrelationships within this order.