The
fossil record of ginglymodians goes back at least to the
Anisian stage of the
Triassic period, over 240 million years ago. The basal ginglymodian order Kyphosichthyiformes is known from a few genera from the Triassic of China, many of which have deep bodies. Early non-gar ginglymodians of all groups, but especially early lepisosteiforms, show heavy morphological
convergence with modern
cypriniforms (
carp and relatives), suggesting that they may have had a similar ecological niche. Notably, molecular evidence suggests that the cypriniforms may have originated and diversified around the same time and place (Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous
Southeast Asia) that the similar freshwater ginglymodians showed major diversification. Eventually, some ginglymodians evolved a more predatory lifestyle, with the earliest known true gars from the Late Jurassic. {{gallery| File:Ticinolepis.jpg|The
Middle Triassic Ticinolepis == Phylogeny ==