Trachiniformes is an order of percomorph bony fish, whose contents are traditionally placed in suborder Trachinoidei of Perciformes.
However, Trachiniformes is recovered as polyphyletic in recent large scale molecular phylogenetic studies. Trachinidae itself is recovered as part of Percoidei, while other families respectively belong to Scombriformes, Gobiiformes, new orders Uranoscopiformes and Pempheriformes, and other clades in Perciformes.
Timeline of genera
Families
The following families make up the Trachiniformes: (with respectively belonging taxa following the molecular phylogenies)
- Ammodytidae <small>Bonaparte, 1832 </small> - sandeels or sandlances (considered as part of Uranoscopiformes).
- â Callipterygidae <small>Jordan, 1905</small> (fossil; Eocene of Italy)
- Chiasmodontidae <small>Jordan & Gilbert, 1883</small> - the swallowers (considered as part of Scombriformes).
- Champsodontidae <small>Jordan & Snyder, 1902</small> - gulpers, gapers or crocodile toothfishes (considered as part of Pempheriformes).
- Cheimarrichthyidae <small>Regan, 1913</small> - New Zealand torrentfishes (considered as part of Uranoscopiformes).
- Creediidae <small>Waite, 1899</small> - sandburrowers (considered as part of Pempheriformes).
- Leptoscopidae <small>Gill, 1859</small> - southern sandfishes (considered as part of Pempheriformes).
- Percophidae <small>Swainson, 1839</small> - duckbills (as a polyphyly, respectively part of Pempheriformes and Perciformes (Notothenioidei and Bembropoidei)).
- Pinguipedidae <small>Günther, 1860</small> - sandperches (considered as part of Uranoscopiformes).
- Trachinidae <small>Rafinesque, 181</small> - weeverfishes (considered as part of Percoidei, belong to Perciformes).
- Trichodontidae <small>Bleeker, 1859</small> - sandfish (considered as a part of Cottoidei, belong to Scorpaeniformes).
- Trichonotidae <small>Günther, 1861</small> - sanddivers (considered to form the monotypic Trichonotoidei, belong to Gobiiformes).
- Uranoscopidae <small>Bonaparte, 1831</small> - stargazers (considered as part of Uranoscopiformes).
References