Halecomorphi

Halecomorphi
Temporal range: 251–present Ma
CretaceousCipactlichthys scutatus
Amia calva (bowfin)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Subclass: Neopterygii
Infraclass: Holostei
Clade: Halecomorphi
Cope, 1872
Orders and families[1]

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.

The parasemionotiform †Watsonulus
The ionoscopiform †Ionoscopus
The amiiform †Caturus
The amiiform †Calamopleurus
The amiiform †Sinamia
Skull of Amia calva (bowfin)

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:[2]

  1. ^ J. S. Nelson; T. C. Grande; M. V. H. Wilson (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Wiley. p. 752. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6. Archived from the original on 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2018-05-24.
  2. ^ Ax, Peter [translated by Dr.Richard. E. Dunmur] (2003). "Halecomorphi — Teleostei". Multicellular Animals. Berlin: Gardners Books. pp. 207–210. doi:10.1007/978-3-662-08874-6_29. ISBN 978-3-642-05515-7.