The terapon perches (Percoidei, Teraponidae) : a cladistic analysis and taxonomic revision. Bulletin of the AMNH ; v. 159, article 5

p. 177-340 : ill., maps ; 26 cm.Thesis (Ph. D.)--City University of New York.Includes bibliographical references (p. 327-340)."The family Teraponidae was revised to determine: the monophyletic nature of the family; the relationships of teraponids to other perciform fishes; the relationships within the family; the recognizable species and their distinguishing characters; and the distribution patterns of the family and its subunits. Using methods of phylogenetic and biogeographic analysis put forward by Hennig and Croizat, respectively, I obtained the following results: (1) The Teraponidae can be defined on the basis of derived states of the swimbaldder, extrinsic swimbladder muscle, urohyal, and third pharyngobranchial. These characters fail to support the inclusion of the genera Datnioides and Pseudohelotes in the Teraponidae as suggested by Fowler. Neither these characters nor any others were found to support a hypothesis of a sister-group relationship between teraponids and any other group in the Percoidei. (2) Within the family 15 monophyletic assemblages were recognized, with the relationships between them and their defining characters based on derived states of posttemporal, tabular, dentary, maxillary, premaxillary, spinous dorsal, and vertebral osteology; forms of the extrinsic swimbladder muscle; swimbladder and intestinal patterns; and differences in pigmentation and heights of the dorsal and anal fin sheaths. (3) These monophyletic assemblages are recognized at the generic level; and three new genera (Hannia, Lagusia, and Syncomistes) are described. Thirty-seven species are recognized of which five (Leiopotherapon macrolepis, Hannia greenwayi, Syncomistes butleri, Syncomistes trigonicus, and Syncomistes kimberleyensis) are described for the first time. Each species is described in detail and a key is provided to the species of the family. Eight species recognized as distinct by some or all workers to this point are placed in synonymy, one species synonymized previously is recognized as distinct, and the previous synonymizations of two nominal forms are tentatively modified. (4) Track analysis of the zoogeography of the family and its subunits revealed two major patterns: a track including the coastal regions of the entire Indo-west Pacific and a track between the fresh waters of northern Australia and southern New Guinea. The significance of these tracks in light of various geological events in the region is discussed"--P. 179