Parasemionotiformes are neopterygians, which is the
clade that encompasses the vast majority of living ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii) and about half of all living species of
vertebrates. Neopterygii are divided into Teleostei and Holostei. The latter represents a depauperate group today but used to be a diverse clade especially during the
Mesozoic Era. The only surviving members of the Holostei are the
gars (
Ginglymodi) and the
bowfin (
Halecomorphi). Parasemionotiformes are the
sister group to all other halecomorphs according to
cladistic analyses. The following
tree summarizes the evolutionary relationships of the Parasemionotiformes. Names accompanied by a
dagger (†) represent
extinct groups. }} ==Classification==