ABSTRACT
The phylogenetic methodology used in the present work basically follows that used in Diogo, in which more details about this methodology can thus be found. The procedure employed for proposing hypotheses of relationships is cladistics; parsimony was employed to find the hypothesis best supported by the analyzed data, using both the Hennig and Nona and Winclada computer programs. The morphological features analyzed in the present work concern essentially the bones, cartilage, muscles and ligaments of the cephalic region, anterior vertebrae and pectoral girdle. The study of the muscles, bones, ligaments and cartilage of these regions thus allows us to make a broader, more integrative analysis on the whole anterior region of the body, its functional morphology, and its general evolution. It is important to note, nevertheless, that, in spite of this necessary selection, the cladistic analysis of the present work includes 356 phylogenetic characters, a number significantly higher than that used in most morphological cladistic studies done on osteichthyans.
