Elpistostege is bounded here by articulated specimen MHNM 06-2067 from the Frasnian Escuminac Formation at Miguasha, Quebec, Canada; this named specimen context is not a global distribution or exact complete range.
claim:taxon:elpistostegeElpistostege
A late Devonian elpistostegalian represented by an exceptionally complete Miguasha specimen whose pectoral fin preserves a mosaic of fin-ray anatomy and wrist- or digit-like endoskeletal elements.
Represented range382.31–372.15 Ma
Content packagetetrapod-transition
PBDBtxn:226298
Evidence boundary
Automated checks cover structure, identifiers, translations and links only; maintainer and external expert review are not complete.
Claim ledger
Cloutier et al. place Elpistostege within the elpistostegalian, stem-tetrapodomorph region of their analysed topology; this package preserves that sampled placement without treating it as a fixed universal tree.
claim:taxon:elpistostege:taxonomyThe Elpistostege specimen used here is from the Miguasha fossil locality in Quebec, Canada; that named locality is not a global distribution or habitat-preference claim.
claim:taxon:elpistostege:biogeographyCT data from articulated Elpistostege specimen MHNM 06-2067 document four proximodistal radial rows, branched carpals and distal elements interpreted as digits or putative digits while lepidotrichia remain present.
claim:taxon:elpistostege:morphologyThe cited Elpistostege pectoral-fin study documents an aquatic fossil setting but does not establish diet, habitat preference or observed locomotor behaviour for the genus.
claim:taxon:elpistostege:ecologyKnown limits
- A missing branch or fossil occurrence does not imply biological absence. Internal nodes are not calibrated divergence estimates.
References
- Elpistostege and the origin of the vertebrate handCloutier, R.; Clement, A.M.; Lee, M.S.Y.; et al. · 2020 · DOI 10.1038/s41586-020-2100-8
- Open Tree of Life web servicesOpenTreeOfLife Project
- The Paleobiology Database application programming interfacePeters, S.E.; McClennen, M. · 2016 · DOI 10.1017/pab.2015.39
- Denormalized occurrence and taxon tables of the Paleobiology DatabaseThe Paleobiology Database Community; Kocsis, Á.T. · 2026 · DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21620933