Revisions to the LRT: basal vertebrates

Over the past several weeks
I have been reexamining the traits and scores of several dozen taxa recently added to the large reptile tree (LRT, 1578 taxa). After correcting some 100,000 data points over the last eight years, this sort of ‘housekeeping is nothing new.

As mentioned often,
each new taxon is new to me, as any new taxon is to any scientist. Over time I learn what I can about it. The data arrive as photos, CT scans and old line drawings. As related taxa are added, new insights come to mind. Understanding increases. Mistakes are corrected. I announce these changes every so often to show other workers this is the appropriate thing to do.

The following three cladograms
(Figs. 1–3) reflect the most recent changes to the LRT. Some nodes still require further examination, but the tree topology seems to be settling into the following three subsets: basal vertebrates, lobe fins and ray fins.

Feel free to seek more data
on any of the taxa listed above, either via ReptileEvolution.com or on their individual Wikipedia web pages.