Lampreys, one of two living lineages of jawless vertebrates, are always intriguing for their feeding behavior via the toothed suctorial disc and life cycle comprising the ammocoete, metamorphic, and adult stages. Here we present a recent study on two superbly preserved lampreys from the Middle-Late Jurassic Yanliao Biota of North China and update the interpretations of the evolution of the feeding apparatus, life cycle, and the historic biogeography of the group. I will focus on the methodological details of the Bayesian phylogenetic methods used for this study. The results reveal that modern lampreys’ three-staged life cycle might not be established until the Jurassic, when they evolved enhanced feeding structures, increased body size and encountered more penetrable host groups.
Bayesian phylogenetic analyses on the evolution of Jurassic lampreys