Relationships among Some Relatively Deep Bodied Percoid Fish Groups

Abstract

The nominal families considered here are the Kyphosidae, Scorpididae, Girellidae, Labracoglossidae, Oplegnathidae, Scatophagidae, Pomacanthidae, Chaetodontidae, Monodactylidae, Ephippidae and Drepanidae.All of these except the Pomacanthidae were recognized as families by Regan (1913) though the taxonomic status of some of them has been downgraded since.On the basis of morphological features these nominal families are divided into three groups: (1) the Ephippidae and Drepanidae, (2) the Monodactylidae, and (3) a series containing the remaining nominal families.It is postulated that the Ephippidae, probably the Monodactylidae, and the kyphosidchaetodontid series developed their deep body-forms independently and that many of their similarities are the result of secondary developments functionally associated with such a body-form.