The Carangiformes have been long regarded as a monotypic order with only the familyCarangidae within it by some authorities, and the other current families within the order have been previously classified as part of the wider order Perciformes. The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classify six families within Carangiformes,[2] with more recent authorities expanding the order to include up to 30 families, based on phylogenetic evidence.[3]
Characteristics
While the expanded order Carangiformes is primarily defined by molecular data, the core group (suborder Carangoidei) shares specific synapomorphies:
One or two tubular ossifications (prenasals) extending from the nasal bone, a trait shared with the archerfishes.[4]
Most carangiforms are medium to large-sized carnivorous predators, ranging from 22cm (8.7in) to 2.5m (8.2ft) in length. Body shapes vary from slender and fusiform (e.g., barracudas, cobia) to deep-bodied and laterally compressed (e.g., trevallies, moonfish, flatfishes). All species are marine, inhabiting primarily tropical and subtropical waters.
Taxonomy and phylogeny
The order Carangiformes has historically been either subsumed within Perciformes or used exclusively for the families in the suborder Carangoidei (Carangidae, Coryphaenidae, Rachycentridae, Echeneidae, and Nematistiidae). However, recent genetic studies have redefined the group to resolve the paraphyly of Perciformes, incorporating many more groups such as the highly specialized flatfishes.
Within the suborder Carangoidei, the family Carangidae (jacks) is paraphyletic. Two of its subfamilies (Naucratinae and Caranginae) are more closely related to the "Echeneoidea" clade (cobias, remoras, and dolphinfishes) than they are to the other carangid subfamilies (Scomberoidinae and Trachinotinae). This relationship is illustrated in the cladogram below based on Girard et al. (2020):[6]
The Coryphaenidae, Rachycentridae, and Echeneidae have been suggested to comprise a monophyletic grouping, which has been recovered as a sister clade to the Carangidae.[8] A basal member of this clade is thought to be from the early Eocene.
12E. O. Wiley & G. David Johnson: A teleost classification based on monophyletic groups.Joseph S. Nelson, Hans-Peter Schultze & Mark V. H. Wilson: Origin and Phylogenetic Interrelationships of Teleosts. Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, München 2010, ISBN 978-3-89937-107-9
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