Teleosts or ‘ray-finned’ fish comprise approximately half of all vertebrates. Despite their importance, the phylogeny of teleosts has been difficult to determine and the subject of ongoing debate. Parey et al. generated seven high-quality genome assemblies for species that represent key Elopomorpha (tarpons, eels) orders or families. They analyzed these seven Elopomorpha genomes in detail, along with eighteen publicly available genome assemblies including four Osteoglossomorpha (arapaima, elephantnose fish), ten Clupeocephala (zebrafish, medaka), and four outgroups. By studying gene sequence evolution and chromosomal rearrangements (macrosynteny and microsynteny) across species, the authors conclude that Elopomorpha and Osteoglossomorpha constitute a monophyletic group; they suggest the name ‘Eloposteoglossocephala’ for this clade. This study showcases the strength of integrating complementary approaches to analyze genome-wide data to resolve long-standing evolutionary disputes and define phylogenetic relationships better.

硬骨鱼类或“辐鳍鱼”约占所有脊椎动物的一半。尽管它们很重要，但硬骨鱼的系统发育一直难以确定，并且一直是争论的主题。Parey 等人。为代表关键 Elopomorpha（大海鲢、鳗鱼）目或科的物种生成了七个高质量的基因组组装。他们详细分析了这七个 Elopomorpha 基因组，以及 18 个公开可用的基因组组合，包括四个 Osteoglosmorpha（巨骨舌鱼、象鼻鱼）、十个 Clupeocephala（斑马鱼、青鳉）和四个外群。通过研究跨物种的基因序列进化和染色体重排（大同步和微同步），作者得出结论，Elopomorpha 和 Osteoglosmorpha 构成了一个单系群；他们建议将这个进化枝命名为“Eloposteoglossocephala”。