Phylogeny of the genera and families of Zeiform fishes, with comments on their relationships with tetraodontiforms and caproids

Abstract

Tyler, James C, Bruce OToole, and Richard Winterbottom. Phylogeny of the Genera and Families of Zeiform Fishes, with Comments on Their Relationships with Tetraodontiforms and Caproids. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, number 618, 110 pages, 90 figures, 2 tables, 2003.-This cladistic study, using 103 putatively informative characters (mostly osteological) of representatives of all of the genera of zeiforms, a primitive tetraodontiform, both genera of caproids, and numerous outgroups, strongly supports the monophyly of zeiforms. The possible relationship of zeiforms with tetraodontiforms and caproids is ambiguous; it is supported in three of the four analyses (data ordered with and without most meristic features and data unordered with most meristic features) but not in the one that we consider the most rational and best justified (data unordered without most meristic features).Within zeiforms, there is strong support for a phylogeny that requires a substantially different arrangement of genera within a new concept of six monophyletic families (three with subfamilies) in two suborders.The genus Cyttus (Cyttoidei, Cyttidae) is shown to be the sister group to all other zeiforms (Zeioidei). The study indicates that the zeiform families, as recognized herein, have the following phylogenetic sequence:

A new Oligocene relative of the Caproidae (Teleostei: Acanthopterygii) from the Outer Carpathians, Poland

“…Tyler & Santini (2005) noted that all the earliest and most primitive forms of caproids, tetraodontiforms, and zeiforms are individuals of less than 6 cm SL, and all are much smaller than their extant relatives. Tyler et al (2003) and Tyler & Santini (2005) suggested that paedomorphic processes were important in the early evolution of all three groups. We suggest that a simpler hypothesis is that the last common ancestor of the zeomorphs was already a very small species.…”

“…-In the description we indicate in sqare brackets [ ] the coding of morphological characters used in subsequent phylogenetic analysis. The numbers of the characters (Appendix 1) are in general the same as in Tyler et al (2003) and Tyler & Santini (2005).…”

“…8), and the left side is shifted a slightly more ventrally than is the right side. A small part of the triangular posterior ceratohyal (called "epihyal" by Tyler et al 2003 andTyler &Santini 2005) is seen above the posterior branchiostegals (on left part). The anterior ceratohyals appear to articulate with two hypohyal elements anteriorly, both with a sharp "corner" or process in front.…”

“…Tetraodontiformes were represented by the extant Parahollardia (Triacanthodidae) and Pseudotriacanthus (Triacanthidae), the two most basal extant clades of the order. The Zeiformes in Tyler et al (2003) were represented by 16 extant genera. Six families of Zeiformes were recognized as a monophyletic group in this analysis.…”

“…Position of caproids within Percomorpha is still not clear in such analyses, neither in the morphological analyses (see Wiley & Johnson 2010). Absence of clade formed by Caproidae, Tetraodontiformes, and Zeiformes in molecular analyses can indicate that morphological characters supposed as synapomorphies by Tyler et al (2003) are in stead evidence of convergence. First of those is neural spine closely applied to skull.…”