Halecomorphi is a taxon of ray-finned bony fish in the clade Neopterygii. The only extant Halecomorph species are the bowfin (Amia calva) and eyespot bowfin (Amia ocellicauda), but the group contains many extinct species in several families (including Amiidae, Caturidae, Liodesmidae, Sinamiidae) in the order Amiiformes, as well as the extinct orders Ionoscopiformes, Panxianichthyiformes, and Parasemionotiformes. The fossil record of halecomorphs goes back at least to the Early Triassic epoch.
Halecomorphi Temporal range: | |
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Cretaceous †Cipactlichthys scutatus | |
Amia calva (bowfin) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Subclass: | Neopterygii |
Infraclass: | Holostei |
Clade: | Halecomorphi Cope, 1872 |
Orders and families | |
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The Halecomorphi exhibit a combination of ancestral features, such as most heavily mineralized scales, but also by more derived or "modern" features, particularly in the structure of the skull (e.g. position and shape of preopercles). Unique derived traits (synapomorphies) of the Halecomorphi include:
On the systematic position of the Halecomorphi, there are two competing hypotheses:
The latter hypothesis is more widely accepted.
Neopterygii |
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The following cladogram summarizes the evolutionary relationships of extinct (indicated with a dagger, †) and living orders of Halecomorphi.
Halecomorphi |
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