The caudal skeleton of Batrachoidiformes (Teleostei: Percomorphacea): a study of morphological diversity, intraspecific variation, and phylogenetic inferences

The caudal-fin skeleton is a primary data source for systematics of fishes, with characters from this complex being proposed as synapomorphies at many taxonomic levels. Batrachoidiformes is recognized as monophyletic, although intraordinal relationships are unclear. Likewise, interrelationships of Batrachoidiformes to other percomorphs are not well established. The caudal skeleton of Batrachoidiformes has not been thoroughly studied and is...