Otocephala is a clade of ray-finned fishes within the infraclass Teleostei that evolved some 230 million years ago. It is named for the presence of a hearing (otophysic) link from the swimbladder to the inner ear. Other names proposed for the group include Ostarioclupeomorpha and Otomorpha.
The clade contains Clupeiformes (herrings) and Ostariophysi, a group of other orders including Cypriniformes (minnows and allies), Gymnotiformes (knifefish), and Siluriformes (catfish). Otocephala may also contain Alepocephaliformes (slickheads), but as yet (2016) without morphological evidence.
The clade is sister to Euteleostei which contains the majority of bony fish alive today.[1][2][3][4]
In 2015, Benton and colleagues set a "plausible minimum" date for the origin of crown Otocephala as about 228.4 million years ago. They argued that since the oldest locality for any diversity of stem teleosts is the Carnian of Polberg bei Lunz, Austria, whose base is 235 million years old, a rough estimate for Otocephala can be made.[5][6]
Phylogeny of living groups based on:[9]
Otocephala ClupeiClupeiformes (herrings and relatives) .jpg){kind=small}
Alepocephaliformes (slickheads and tubeshoulders) 
Gonorynchiformes (milkfish and relatives) 
Cypriniformes (minnow, carp, loach) .jpg){kind=small}
Characiformes (tetras and piranhas) .jpg)
Gymnotiformes (knifefish) .jpg){kind=small}
Siluriformes (catfish) .jpg){kind=small}
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Data related to Otomorpha at WikispeciesOtocephala is a clade of ray-finned fishes within the infraclass Teleostei that evolved some 230 million years ago. It is named for the presence of a hearing (otophysic) link from the swimbladder to the inner ear. Other names proposed for the group include Ostarioclupeomorpha and Otomorpha.
The clade contains Clupeiformes (herrings) and Ostariophysi, a group of other orders including Cypriniformes (minnows and allies), Gymnotiformes (knifefish), and Siluriformes (catfish). Otocephala may also contain Alepocephaliformes (slickheads), but as yet (2016) without morphological evidence.
The clade is sister to Euteleostei which contains the majority of bony fish alive today.
In 2015, Benton and colleagues set a "plausible minimum" date for the origin of crown Otocephala as about 228.4 million years ago. They argued that since the oldest locality for any diversity of stem teleosts is the Carnian of Polberg bei Lunz, Austria, whose base is 235 million years old, a rough estimate for Otocephala can be made.
