The largest radiations of freshwater fishes initiated at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary
Chase Brownstein, Bruno Francelino de Melo, Claudio F Oliveira, Thomas J. Near
This paper shows that the major freshwater fish clade Ostariophysi diversified rapidly after the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction, with two freshwater invasions and rapid origination of major clades within five million years.
bioRxiv · Aug 28, 2026 · PreprintEvolutionary Biology