A new classification of the family Ariidae (Osteichthyes: Ostariophysi: Siluriformes) based on combined analyses of morphological and molecular data Author Marceniuk, Alexandre Pires Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, conjunto Presidente Castelo Branco III, João Pessoa, PB 58050 - 000, Brazil & Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Campina Grande, PB 58429 - 500, Brazil & Departamento de Biologia Estrutural e Funcional, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP), Botucatu, SP 18618 - 970, Brazil a_marceniuk@hotmail.com Author Oliveira, Claudio Departamento de Biologia Estrutural e Funcional, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP), Botucatu, SP 18618 - 970, Brazil Author Ferraris Jr, Carl J. 545 NE Floral Pl., Portland, OR 97232, USA text Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 2024 2023-08-21 200 2 426 476 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad078 journal article 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad078 0024-4082 11240120 5D6C7EBF-E568-4100-9364-2DD357003878 Batrachocephalus Bleeker, 1846 ( Figs 1–3 , 26 ) Type species: Batrachocephalus ageneiosus Bleeker, 1846 . Diagnosis Mesethmoid median portion very wide (2, 0> 2); nasal fan shaped ( 19, 0> 2) ; posterior cranial fontanel absent (26, 1> 0); epiphyseal bar indistinct (28, 0> 1); sphenotic long and narrow (35, 1> 0) ; posterior portion of anterior ceratohyal columnar and very thick ( 151, 0> 1) ; posterior ceratohyal long (153, 0> 1); anterior margin of urohyal not notched (154, 0> 1); second dorsal cleithral process posteriorly directed and parallel to posterior process (226, 1> 0); maxillary barbel absent ( 234, 0> 1) . Ambiguous optimization: Anteroventral portion of opercle subtriangular ( 127, 2> 3) . Included species Batrachocephalus mino Hamilton, 1822 . Habitat and distribution: Brackish and marine waters, South and Southeast Asia ( Fig. 24 ). Remarks The MP analysis of the data matrix corroborates previous morphological studies ( Marceniuk and Menezes 2007 , Marceniuk et al. 2012 ), both in terms of species composition and the relationship of Batrachocephalus with Ketengus plus Osteogeneiosus , which contrasts with the hypothesis of Kailola (2004) ,