Lepisosteiformes
Lepisosteiformes is an order of ray-finned fish and the only living members of the clade Ginglymodi. Its only extant representatives are the gar (family Lepisosteidae), and it is defined as all members of Ginglymodi that are more closely related to gar than to the extinct Semionotiformes, the other major grouping of ginglymodians. They are one of two extant orders in the infraclass Holostei alongside the Amiiformes (now represented by only the bowfins).
| Lepisosteiformes Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| Florida gar (Lepisosteus platyrhynchus) (Lepisosteidae) | |
| Fossil of Scheenstia maximus (Lepidotidae) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Clade: | Ginglymodi |
| Clade: | Neoginglymodi |
| Order: | Lepisosteiformes Hay, 1929 |
| Families | |
For other genera, see text | |
While represented only by the two extant genera of gar from North America, the Lepisosteiformes are an ancient group known as far back as the Early Jurassic, and formerly had a much larger range, being known from almost every continent. Considerable morphological diversity is known among extinct members compared to modern gar, from the superficially gar-like Obaichthyidae to the semionotiform-like Lepidotidae, which were previously classified in the Semionotiformes.