Data from: It's a family matter: molecular phylogenetics of Atheriniformes and the polyphyly of surf silversides (Family: Notocheiridae)

Phylogenetic relationships among families of Atheriniformes have long been problematic. The affinities of
one of the most enigmatic lineages, surf silversides (Notocheiridae), have proven particularly elusive due
to this taxon’s unique morphology and rarity in museum collections. In this study, we use mitochondrial
and nuclear sequence data to generate a phylogeny for seven of the eight families of Atheriniformes. Our
results reveal that four families within Atheriniformes (Atherinopsidae, Notocheiridae, Atherinidae, Melanotaeniidae) are not monophyletic. Most notably, Notocheiridae is polyphyletic, with Notocheirus hubbsi
nested within New World silversides (Atherinopsidae), while members of Iso are sister to all other Old
World Atheriniforms. These data suggest that the unique morphology of Notocheirus and Iso is a result
of adaptive convergent evolution to the high-energy surf habitat where these species live.