Subfamily Galeichthyinae Acero & Betancur-R., 2007

(Figs 1–3)

Type genus: Galeichthys Valenciennes, 1840 .

Diagnosis (all of ambiguous optimization)

Frontal mesial laminar projection absent (23, 1> 0); parieto-supraoccipital process base almost as narrow as posterior portion (46, 1> 0); ventral crest of parieto-supraoccipital process weakly developed, restricted to base of process (48, 1> 0); anterior margin of otolith irregular, concave (71,?> 2); transcapular process forming a right angle in relation to body axis (86, 0> 1); transcapular process very short and thick (87, 0> 1); bony crest of exoccipital shallow and inconspicuous (91, 0> 1); posterior branch of lachrymal-antorbital short and little differentiated (99, 1> 0); maxilla wide for proximal two-thirds with edges parallel, narrow distally, thin and acute posteriorly (102, 0> 1); autopalatine posterior cartilage as long as anterior cartilage (114, 1> 0); anterodorsal process of anguloarticular present (118, 0> 1); opercle posterior portion not well developed posteriorly (129, 1> 0); second external branchiostegal ray almost as wide as first ray (148, 0> 1); posterior portion of second basibranchial long and wide (167, 2> 0); third basibranchial long and narrow (169, 1> 2); mesial portion of first epibranchial large and depressed (180, 0> 1); space for insertion of teeth on fifth ceratobranchial very large (194, 1> 0); median crest associated with neural spine of third vertebra low or absent (201, 1> 0); seventh vertebra free from ventral superficial ossification (214, 0> 10); anterior and middle nuchal plates indistinct (217, 1> 0); posterior process of cleithrum connected by bony blade from second dorsal process of cleithrum (228, 0> 1); basipterygium anterior internal process partially connected to bony lamina (231, 0> 1); gas bladder Müllerian window short (241, 0> 1).

Included genera

Galeichthys Valenciennes, 1840 .

Remarks

The total-evidence analysis corroborates previous morphological and molecular studies and confirms the recognition of a subfamily for the genus Galeichthys, as the sister group of all other members of the family Ariidae (Betancur-R. 2009, Marceniuk et al. 2012).