A comprehensive phylogenetic study of amiid fishes (Amiidae) based on comparative skeletal anatomy. An empirical search for interconnected patterns of natural history

The comparative osteology, phylogenetic relationships, and historical biogeography of all known taxa of fossil and Living amiid fishes (Halecomorphi: Amiidae) are investigated in detail. Previously, the detailed osteology of nearly all fossil amiids was unknown. We present the first well-supported comprehensive phylogeny for fossil and living amiid fishes. We synthesize clearly documented phylogenetic data on amiids and other halecomorph fishes with other historical phenomena such as ontogeny, historical biogeography, stratigraphic paleontology, and paleoecology (both "stationary" and "historical"). We also use our study of halecomorph fishes as a platform to explore several fundamental methodological and theoretical concepts important to phylogenetic/evolutionary investigations. These concepts pertain mainly to (1) the use of comparative empirical data to interpret various historical patterns and (2) the practice of integrating fossil and living species together in original (i.e., non-literature-based) phylogenetic studies.