Understanding relationships between geographic distribution and morphological diversity of a taxonomic group can provide key insights into the evolutionary and ecological history of marine communities. Fishes in the superfamily Balistoidea provide an ideal system in which to examine these relationships because they inhabit tropical to subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans and display a large amount of morphological and functional diversity. The superfamily Balistoidea contains 151 species in two families, the filefishes (Monacanthidae) and the triggerfishes (Balistidae). Our main questions in this study were 1) what are the evolutionary relationships among species within and among each balistoid community, 2) how are morphologies distributed across marine communities, and 3) what is the role of morphological evolution in maintaining community dynamics? We hypothesized that more closely related species and species exhibiting similar morphologies will form distinct communities, which may indicate their ability to coexist in similar regions. We inferred communities of the Balistoidea based on the degree of species turnover. Using clade-specific communities as a framework, we analyzed the relationships among geographic distribution, community composition, phylogenetic diversity, and morphometrics of these species. We used geometric morphometrics to examine patterns of diversity in body shape and fin shape within and among marine communities. We found significantly different evolutionary and morphological dynamics within and among marine communities both regionally and globally. Distinct differences in the distribution of morphotypes across communities reveals the important role that morphological diversity plays in understanding the evolutionary history of species and how it shapes ecological community dynamics. NSF DEB-1541547