Tuna and mackerels (Pelagia) represent a group of well-known and economically important fishes, however, their evolutionary origins and phylogenetic relationships are still not well understood. This project will, for the first time, incorporate fossil relatives, to test relationships based on molecular analyses, and provide data regarding timing of divergence within the Pelagia. Fossils and extant taxa relevant to this study will be accessed from NHM collections, and CT-scanned at the Image and Analysis Centre, NHM, providing new morphological characters (internal anatomy including braincase and gill arches), as well as 3D images for morphometric analysis.
