| Cirrhitoidei | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Stocky hawkfishCirrhitus pinnulatus | |
 | |
| Bastard trumpeterLatridopsis forsteri | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Centrarchiformes |
| Suborder: | Cirrhitoidei |
Cirrhitoidei is asuborder ofray-finned fishes within theorderCentrarchiformes.
The group was previously treated as a superfamily,Cirrhitoidea, within the suborderPercoidei of the orderPerciformes. Molecular studies confirmed themonophyly of the cirrhitoid group, but moved it to the new orderCentrarchiformes.[1] The 5th Edition of Fishes of the World does not recognise Centrarchiformes and retains the superfamily within the order Perciformes.[2]
In his 1995 arrangement of the relationship between thefamilies within the CirrhitoideaGreenwood demonstrated that the Cirrhitidae was likely to be the mostbasal group, with the Chironemidae as the next mostplesiomorphic family, with the remaining three families, Aplodactylidae, Cheilodactylidae, and Latridae having unresolved relationships within the group. A molecular study of 2004 suggested that the Latridae should be expanded to include some species from the Cheilodactylidae, and the 5th edition ofFishes of the World suggests that more studies should be undertaken to resolve thephylogeny of all of the taxa included in the Cirrhitoidea.[2]
Cirrhitoidei includes the following families:[3][4]
Members of Cirrhitoidei are characterised by having the pelvics fins placed relatively far to the posterior of the pectoral fins, The most ventral 5–8 rays of the pectorals are simple and unbranched, typically thickened and sometimes separate from each other. The anal fin normally has 3 spines.