[The System of the Suborder Zoarcoidei (Pisces, Perciformes) as Inferred from Molecular Genetic Data]

Based on an analysis of sequence variation in mitochondrial and nuclear markers, the levels of divergence, relationships, and system of the suborder Zoarcoidei was defined. It was demonstrated that DNA lineages of the families Bathymasteridae and Cebidichthyidae were positioned at the bottom ofthe suborder phylogenetic tree. The family Zoarcidae is a monophyletic group, the youngest in the evolutionary terms. Zoarcidae, Anarhichadidae, Neozorcidae, and Eulophiidae form a group of related families. The family Stichaeidae is heterogeneous and has a polyphyletic origin; within this family, the subfamilies Chirolophinae, Alectgiinae, Xiphisterinae, and Stichaeinae are sister taxa. The subfamilies Opisthocentrinae and Lumpeninae are isolated from Stichaedae; Opisthocentrinae is closely associated with the families Pholidae and Ptilichthyidae, and Lumpeninae is closely associated with Zaproridae and Cryptacanthodidae. It is suggested that the rank of subfamilies Opisthocentrinae and Lumpeninae should be raised.