Ginglymodi is a clade of ray-finned fish containing modern-day gars (Lepisosteidae) and their extinct relatives, including the family Lepidotidae and the

orders Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...

Semionotiformes and Kyphosichthyiformes, and various other extinct taxa. Ginglymodi is one of the two major subgroups of the infraclass Holostei, the other one being Halecomorphi, which contains the bowfin and its

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

relatives. Alligator Gar 10

Fossil record

The fossil record of ginglymodians goes back at least to the Anisian stage of the Triassic period, over 240 million years ago. ''

Eosemionotus ''Eosemionotus'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric ray-finned fish from the Triassic period. See also * Prehistoric fish * List of prehistoric bony fish A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People ...

'' is one of the earliest ginglymodians. ''

Acentrophorus ''Acentrophorus'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric ray-finned fish from the Permian and Triassic periods. Fossils have been found in Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom. It was the oldest known neopterygian. See also * Prehistoric fish ...

'', another taxon from the Wuchiapingian stage of the late Permian, and ''

Paracentrophorus ''Paracentrophorus'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric ray-finned fish that lived during the Induan age of the Early Triassic epoch in what is now Madagascar. The type species is ''Paracentrophorus madagascariensis'' (monotypy). ''Parac ...

'' from the Early Triassic epoch, could be even earlier members of the group. Ginglymodi was

diverse Diversity, diversify, or diverse may refer to: Business *Diversity (business), the inclusion of people of different identities (ethnicity, gender, age) in the workforce * Diversity marketing, marketing communication targeting diverse customers ...

and widespread during the Mesozoic era, but they represent a depauperate lineage today. The group first evolved in marine environments, but several lineages made separate transitions into freshwater environments. The earliest known gars are from the Late Jurassic, and gar fossils have been found on all continents except Australia and Antarctica. Only seven species exist today, distributed in the

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

systems of North America. File:Ticinolepis.jpg, The Middle Triassic '' Ticinolepis'' File:Propterus.jpg, The Jurassic macrosemiid semionotiform '' Propterus sp.'' File:Macrosemius rostratus 3434.jpg, The Jurassic macrosemiid semionotiform '' Macrosemius rostratus'' File:Lepidotes maximus - Naturmuseum Senckenberg - DSC02236.JPG, The Jurassic-

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...

lepisosteiform '' Scheenstia maxima'' File:Atractosteus strausi - Huston Museum Nat Sci - DSC01960.jpg, The lepisosteiform ''Atractosteus strausi'' from the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', " ...

Messel Formation The Messel Formation is a geologic formation in Hesse, central Germany, dating back to the Eocene epoch (about 47 MaJens Lorenz Franzen (2005). "The implications of the numerical dating of the Messel fossil deposit (Eocene, Germany) for mamma ...

of Germany File:Dinosauria - Lepisosteus simplex.jpg, The lepisosteiform ''Atractosteus simplex'' from the

Green River Formation of Wyoming File:Scales of Pliodetes nigeriensis.png, Body scales of '' Pliodetes nigeriensis'' from the

Elrhaz Formation of Niger

References

Vertebrate unranked clades Anisian first appearances Extant Middle Triassic first appearances Taxa named by Edward Drinker Cope {{Rayfinned-fish-stub