SANTINI, F*; LECOINTRE, G; University of Toronto; Museum national d’histoire Naturelle: Phylogeny of the Caproidae (Acanthomorpha), with comments on their relationship with Tetraodontiformes and Acanthuroidae

A new phylogenetic hypothesis, based on 88 morphological characters (mostly osteological) is presented for 20 species, including 11 fossil ones, of putative caproid boarfish (Caproidae: Acanthomorpha), and 12 additional acanthomorph outgroups (eight extant, four extinct). The new phylogenetic hypotheses, after analyses of data sets both with and without fossil taxa, indicate the existence of: 1) a well supported clade of extant and fossil Caproidae; 2) a well supported clade of extant and fossil Antigonia; 3) the monophyly of the crown Antigonia; 4) a clade formed by the Sorbinipercidae and Zorzinichthydae, even though Sorbinipercidae is paraphylethic without the inclusion of Zorzinichthys; this group forms the sister group of the Caproidae; 5) the Eocene Acanthonemus is the stem taxon of a clade comprising a paraphyletic Acanthuroidei and the Tetraodontiformes.