Percomorpha

Percomorpha is a large clade of ray-finned fishes that includes most modern spiny-rayed fishes. Its members span a wide range of body forms and aquatic habitats.

Acanthomorpha: A major clade of ray-finned fishes characterized by spiny fin rays and associated skeletal features. Percomorpha is nested within this broader radiation of spiny-rayed fishes.
Perciformes: A historically broad order of percomorph fishes, now divided among several distinct evolutionary groups. Many familiar percomorphs were once classified together in this expansive order.
Molecular phylogenetics: The reconstruction of evolutionary relationships from DNA, RNA, or protein sequences. Genetic comparisons have reshaped hypotheses about percomorph branching.
Adaptive radiation: The diversification of a lineage into multiple forms adapted to different ecological roles. Repeated radiations helped produce the exceptional ecological and morphological diversity of percomorphs.
Fish classification: The scientific arrangement of fishes into groups based on evolutionary relationships and shared traits. Percomorph classification has changed as evidence has overturned traditional groupings.
Teleostei: The largest group of living ray-finned fishes, with a mobile jaw and a tail skeleton adapted for efficient swimming. Percomorpha is a deeply nested branch of this dominant living fish lineage.
Cichlidae: A family of freshwater fishes known for diverse forms and repeated adaptive radiations. Cichlids exemplify rapid diversification within a percomorph lineage.
Morphological systematics: The classification of organisms using comparative anatomical characters. Anatomical evidence remains essential when genetic data are unavailable or disputed.
Coral reef fish: Fishes that inhabit coral reef ecosystems, occupying diverse feeding and sheltering roles. Percomorph lineages make up a large share of reef fish diversity.
Phylogenetic uncertainty: Uncertainty in estimates of evolutionary relationships caused by limited, conflicting, or ambiguous evidence. Rapid early divergences and conflicting datasets complicate some percomorph relationships.

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