Phylogeny, biology, and evolution of acanthopterygian fish clades

The advent of molecular phylogenetics has rapidly transformed the understanding of relationships within Acanthopterygii, the spiny-rayed fishes. Acanthopterygii includes most of the marine fish diversity as well as several lineages in freshwater and contains such iconic groups as tunas, cichlids, seahorses, flatfishes, anglerfishes, and most fishes found on coral reefs. The robust and well-resolved phylogeny resulting from more than two decades of molecular studies includes some highly novel placements as well as unprecedented resolution of the lineages within Percomorpha. In this review, we highlight the patterns of morphology, ecology, biology, and biogeography within and among the major clades of Acanthopterygii using an evolutionary perspective that has been made possible by this emergent phylogenetic consensus. Our aim is to provide a comprehensive summary of each clade’s characteristics, serving as a reorientation for those familiar with previous conceptions of acanthopterygian phylogeny and as an introduction for those new to the biology, evolution, and biogeography of the major acanthopterygian groups.