Pholidophoriformes

Pholidophoriformes is an extinct group of early ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii) that has historically been used to describe a range of Triassic to Early Jurassic taxa believed to lie near the origin of the Teleostei. In modern phylogenetic frameworks, the group is generally regarded as paraphyletic rather than a natural clade, with many included forms understood as stem neopterygians or close relatives of early teleosts rather than a cohesive lineage.

Fossils attributed to pholidophoriforms typically exhibit traits common to early actinopterygians, such as relatively primitive skull and fin features and, in many taxa, thick, rhomboid or ganoid-like scales. The anatomy suggests a mosaic of character states that illuminate transitional features between earlier ray-finned fishes and more derived neopterygians, including teleosts, though precise relationships remain debated.

The fossil record of pholidophoriforms spans parts of the Late Triassic and into the Early Jurassic, with specimens discovered in various paleoenvironments that once formed parts of Laurasian and other landmasses. Their temporal distribution reflects a period of rapid diversification among early neopterygians and the broader actinopterygian radiation.

Significance rests on their potential to illuminate early steps in teleost evolution and the broader diversification of ray-finned fishes. Because phylogenetic placement of many pholidophoriform taxa has shifted with new data, the usage of Pholidophoriformes as a formal group has diminished in contemporary classifications, and the term is often treated as a historical, rather than a strict taxonomic, category.