ReviewForebrain evolution in bony fishes
Introduction
The bony fishes represent approximately half of all living vertebrates and constitute more than 30,000 living species. These fishes form two great clades: the actinopterygians or ray-finned fishes, which include most bony fishes, and the sarcopterygians or lobe-finned fishes, which are restricted to only seven or eight living species (Fig. 1). Given the large number of species and their long phylogenetic history, it is not surprising that the brains of bony fishes exhibit a remarkable range of variation [57], [58], [64], [106], [112]. Much of that variation occurs in the forebrain. In this review, evolutionary trends in forebrain variation will be summarized first for the ray-finned fishes and subsequently for the lobe-finned fishes.
Section snippets
Ray-finned fishes
The forebrains of ray-finned fishes form a morphocline of increasing complexity [71], [72] from bichirs (cladistians), through sturgeons and paddlefishes (chondrosteans), to the neopterygians, which comprise the gars (ginglymodes), bowfins (halecomorphs), and the teleosts, which represent the largest group of living vertebrates. Due to extensive research in several laboratories, there is considerable experimental data on forebrain organization in one cladistian (Polypterus), two chondrosteans (
Lobe-finned fishes
There are only two groups of living lobe-finned fishes: the dipnoans, or lungfishes, and the actinistians, or coelacanths (Fig. 1). The living lungfishes comprise the African genus Protopterus, the Australian genus Neoceratodus, and the South American genus Lepidosiren. In turn, Protopterus is represented by four species, whereas Neoceratodus and Lepidosiren are each monotypic. Today, coelacanths are represented by a single genus, Latimeria, which occurs over a large but spotty range along the
Conclusions
Although the last few years have seen considerable information generated on the organization of the forebrain in ray-finned fishes, particularly the organization of area dorsalis or the pallium of the telencephalon, far more data are needed on subpallial organization in these fishes. Also, there is a paucity of data on forebrain organization in the bowfins and gars, which reflect a holostean grade of organization in the evolution of the forebrain in ray-finned fishes. Further attention to
Acknowledgements
I thank Jo Griffith for assistance with the illustrations, Susan Commerford for literature retrieval and word processing, and Mary Sue Northcutt for assistance with numerous phases of the research. It is a pleasure to dedicate this review to Rudolf Nieuwenhuys, a consummate comparative neuroanatomist and scholar, whose pioneering studies on the organization of the forebrain of bony fishes established a body of knowledge that all subsequent comparative neuroanatomists have built upon. This
References (119)
Topography and topology of the teleost telencephalon: a paradox resolved
Neurosci. Lett.
(2000)- et al.
The nucleus subglomerulosus of the trout hypothalamus is a link between chemosensory and visual systems: a DiI study
Brain Res. Bull.
(2002) - et al.
Evolution of the basal ganglia in tetrapods: a new perspective based on recent studies in amphibians
Trends Neurosci.
(1998) - et al.
Immunohistochemical characterization of striatal and amygdalar structures in the telencephalon of the fire-bellied toad Bombina orientalis
Neuroscience
(2005) - et al.
Telencephalic afferent nuclei in the carp diencephalon, with special reference to the fiber connections of the nucleus preglomerulosus pars lateralis
Brain Res.
(1986) - et al.
The effects of telencephalic pallial lesions on spatial, temporal, and emotional learning in goldfish
Brain Res. Bull.
(2002) - et al.
Expression patterns of homeobox and other putative regulatory genes in the embryonic mouse forebrain suggests a neuromeric organization
Trends Neurosci.
(1993) - et al.
The retinofugal pathways in the primitive African bony fish Polypterus senegalus (Cuvier, 1829)
Brain Res.
(1981) - et al.
The retinofugal pathways in a primitive actinopterygian, the chondrostean Acipenser güldenstädti. An experimental study using degeneration, radioautographic, and HRP methods
Brain Res.
(1982) - et al.
Identification of visual pallial telencephalon in the goldfish Carassius auratus: a combined cytochrome oxidase and electrophysiological study
Brain Res.
(2001)
Distribution of serotonin (5HT)-immunoreactive structures in the central nervous system of two chondrostean species (Acipenser baeri and Huso huso)
J. Comp. Neurol.
Distribution of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) immunoreactivity in the central nervous system of a chondrostean, the Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baeri)
J. Comp. Neurol.
Distribution of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH) immunoreactivity in the central nervous system of two chondrostean fishes (Acipenser baeri and Huso huso)
J. Comp. Neurol.
A re-examination of sarcopterygian interrrelationships, with special references to the Porolepiformes
Zool. J. Linn. Soc.
Visual thalamotelencephalic pathways in the sturgeon Acipenser, a non-teleost actinopterygian fish
Brain Behav. Evol.
Zur Morphologie des Zwischenhirns bei niederen Wirbeltieren
Acta Zool.
Comparative aspects of forebrain organization in the ray-finned fishes: touchstones or not?
Brain Behav. Evol.
Olfactory bulb projections in the bichir, Polypterus
J. Comp. Neurol.
Correlation of telencephalic afferents and SDH distribution in the bony fish Polypterus
Brain Res.
Organization of the diencephalon and pretectum of the ray-finned fishes
Nuclear protein-coding genes support lungfish and not the coelacanth as the closest living relatives of land vertebrates
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.
Expression of the genes GAD67 and distal-less-4 in the forebrain of Xenopus laevis confirms a common pattern in tetrapods
J. Comp. Neurol.
Expression of the genes Emxl, Tbr1 and Eomes (Tbr2) in the telencephalon of Xenopus laevis confirms the existence of four pallial divisions in tetrapods
J. Comp. Neurol.
The limbic system of tetrapods: a comparative analysis of cortical and amygdalar populations
Brain Behav. Evol
Suggestions for a revision of the cytoarchitectonics of the telelencephalon of Protopterus, Protopterus annectens (Owen)
Boll. Zool.
Les centres visuals primaries de Protoperus dolloi Boulenger
J. Hirnforsh.
Connections of the auditory midbrain in a teleost fish, Cyprinus carpio
J. Comp. Neurol.
Organization of central auditory pathways in a teleost fish, Cyprinus carpio
J. Comp. Physiol. A
The cerebral cortex in Lepidosiren, with comparative notes on the interpretation of certain features of the forebrain in other vertebrates
Anat. Anz.
Dorsal striatopallidal system in anurans
J. Comp. Neurol.
Hodological characterization of the septum in anuran amphibians. II. Efferent connections
J. Comp. Neurol.
Central organization of eighth nerve and mechanosensory lateral line systems in the brainstem of ictalurid catfish
J. Comp. Neurol.
Experimental study of the connections of the gustatory system in the rainbow trout, Onorhynchus mykiss
J. Comp. Neurol.
An experimental study of the connections of the telencephalon in the rainbow trout (Onorhynchus mykiss). I. Olfactory bulb and ventral area
J. Comp. Neurol.
Experimental study of the connections of the telencephalon in the rainbow trout (Onorhynchus mykiss). II. Dorsal area and preoptic region
J. Comp. Neurol.
Über das Gehirn von Protopterus annectens
Anat. Anz.
Basal ganglia
The amphibian forebrain. IV. The cerebral hemispheres of Amblystoma
J. Comp. Neurol.
The amphibian forebrain. VI. Necturus
J. Comp. Neurol.
Population monitoring of the coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae)
Conserv. Biol.
Connections of the pallial telencephalon in the Senegal bichir, Polypterus
Brain Behav. Evol.
Contribution to the morphology of the brain of Ceratodus
Acta Zool.
Olfactory projections in a chondrostean fish, Acipenser baeri: an experimental study
J. Comp. Neurol.
Topography and connections of the telencephalon in a chondrostean, Acipenser baeri: an experimental study
J. Comp. Neurol.
Developmental origin of diencephalic sensory relay nuclei in teleosts
Brain Behav. Evol.
Early Vertebrates
Über die Grundbestandteile des Endhirns im Lichte der Bauplanlehre
Anat. Anz.
Connectivity and cytoarchitecture of the ventral telencephalon in the salamander Plethodon shermani
J. Comp. Neurol.
The connections between the olfactory bulb and the brain in the goldfish
J. Comp. Neurol.
Cited by (149)
Organization of the Melanin concentrating hormone secreting neuronal system in the brain of the cichlid fish Oreochromis mossambicus
2022, Journal of Chemical NeuroanatomySerotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine)-immunoreactive neurons in the brain of the viviparous fish Gambusia affinis
2021, Journal of Chemical NeuroanatomyFunction and Evolution of the Reptilian Cerebral Cortex
2020, Evolutionary NeuroscienceTelencephalic eversion in embryos and early larvae of four teleost species
2024, Evolution and DevelopmentSerotonin-immunoreactivity in the brain of the cichlid fish Oreochromis mossambicus
2024, Anatomical RecordCytoarchitecture of Mudskipper (Boleophthalmus pectinirostris) Brain
2023, Brain, Behavior and Evolution