ABSTRACT
As stated in the Stomiiformes chapter we use the advanced stomiiform families for convenience as Fink (1985) has demonstrated monophyly of this group and did not propose a formal classification. I follow Moser (1996) in using Weitzman’s (1974) superfamily Stomioidea as a convenient way of describing the ELH stages of these rare and interesting advanced stomiiforms to aid in identification. Kawaguchi & Moser (1984) reviewed the group and provided extensive information on the superfamily. Even though some data are used redundantly it is necessary to help in separating the various taxa to have the information presented in more than one venue. The families have different and unusual features including the presence of scales only in chauliodontids and stomiids; centra of one or more vertebrae unossified which allows the head to be thrown back and mouth to open widely in astronesthids and the melanostomiid genera Chirostomias and Trigonolampa; varying positions of the dorsal fin (chauliodontids have a short dorsal fin advanced near the head and the anal fin far posteriorly, astronesthids have the dorsal fin midway on the trunk ending well before anal fin origin and the anal fin on the end of the body, while the remaining families have both the dorsal and anal fins posteriorly placed).
