Cladistia is a clade of bony fishes whose only living members are the bichirs. Their major synapomorphies are a heterocercal tail in which the dorsal fin has independent rays, and a posteriorly elongated parasphenoid.
Cladistia are the earliest diverging branch of living Actinopterygii, sister group of Actinopteri, the group which includes all other living ray finned fish.
Aside from bichirs, other extinct fish groups thought to be members of the group include the Scanilepiformes, known from the Triassic period.
Taxonomy
Based on work done by Lund 2000
Order †Guildayichthyiformes Lund 2000
Family †Guildayichthyidae Lund 2000
Genus †Guildayichthys Lund 2000
Species †Guildayichthys carnegiei Lund 2000
Genus †Discoserra Lund 2000
Species †Discoserra pectinodon Lund 2000
Order Polypteriformes Bleeker 1859
Genus †Latinopollia Meunier and Gayet 1998
Species †Latinopollia suarezi (Meunier & Gayet 1996) Meunier & Gayet 1998
Genus †Dagetella Gayet & Meunier 1991
Species †Dagetella sudamericana Gayet & Meunier 1991
Genus †Bartschichthys Gayet & Meunier 1996 [Bartschia Gayet & Meunier 1996 non Rehder 1943] Species †B. arnoulti (Gayet & Meunier 1996) [Bartschia arnoulti Gayet & Meunier 1996] Species †B. napatensis Werner & Gayet 1997 Species †B. tubularis (Gayet & Meunier 1996) [Bartschia tubularis Gayet & Meunier 1996] Genus †Sudania Werner & Gayet 1997 Species †S. gracilis Werner & Gayet 1997 Species †S. oblonga Werner & Gayet 1997 Genus †Saharichthys Werner & Gayet 1997 Species †S. nigeriensis (Gayet & Meunier 1996) [Sainthilairia nigeriensis Gayet & Meunier 1996] Species †S. africanus (Gayet & Meunier 1996) [Sainthilairia africana Gayet & Meunier 1996] Genus †Sainthilairia Gayet & Meunier 1996 Species †S. beccussiformis Gayet & Meunier 1996 Species †S. elongata Werner & Gayet 1997 Species †S. falciformis Gayet & Meunier 1996 Species †S. grandis Gayet & Meunier 1996 Species †S. intermedia Werner & Gayet 1997 Genus †Inbecetemia Werner & Gayet 1997 Species †I. torta (Gayet & Meunier 1996) [Sainthilairia torta Gayet & Meunier 1996] Species †I. tortissima (Gayet & Meunier 1996) [Sainthilairia tortissima Gayet & Meunier 1996] Genus †Nagaia Werner & Gayet 1997 Species †Nagaia extrema Werner & Gayet 1997 Family Polypteridae Lacépède 1803 sensu stricto Genus †Bawitius Grandstaff et al. 2012 Species †Bawitius bartheli (Schaal 1984) Grandstaff et al. 2012 [Polypterus bartheli Schaal 1984] Genus †Serenoichthys Dutheil 1999 Species †Serenoichthys kemkemensis Dutheil 1999 Genus Erpetoichthys Smith 1865 [Calamoichthys Smith 1866] Species Erpetoichthys calabaricus Genus Polypterus Lacepède 1803 Species Polypterus ansorgii Boulenger, 1910 Species Polypterus bichir Lacépède, 1803 Species Polypterus congicus Boulenger, 1898 Species Polypterus delhezi Boulenger, 1899 Species Polypterus endlicheri Heckel, 1847 Species Polypterus mokelembembe Schliewen & Schäfer, 2006 Species Polypterus ornatipinnis Boulenger, 1902 Species Polypterus palmas Ayres, 1850 Species Polypterus polli J. P. Gosse, 1988 Species Polypterus retropinnis Vaillant, 1899 Species Polypterus senegalus Cuvier, 1829 Species Polypterus teugelsi Britz, 2004 Species Polypterus weeksii Boulenger, 1898