Acanthodii - Acanthodiformes - Acanthodidae
Synonyms: Acanthoessidae Hay 1902, Howittacanthidae Zajıc 1995
Parent taxon: Acanthodiformes according to R. van der Laan 2019
See also Burrow et al. 2012, Carroll 1988, Denison 1979, Gunnell 1933, Hay 1902, Jordan 1963 and Nelson et al. 2016
Sister taxa: Cheiracanthidae, Mesacanthidae
Subtaxa: Acanthodes Acanthoessus Carycinacanthus Halimacanthodes Heteracanthus Holacanthodes Homalacanthus Howittacanthus Machaerius Pelonectes Protogonacanthus Pseudacanthodes Rhadinacanthus Traquairia Traquairichthys Triazeugacanthus Utahacanthus
Ecology: nektonic carnivore
Distribution:
• Permian of Czechia (7 collections), France (3), Germany (4), United States (4: Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma)
• Carboniferous of Australia (1), Belarus (1), China (1), the Russian Federation (1), the United Kingdom (14), United States (11: Kansas, Montana, New Mexico, Utah)
• Devonian of Australia (3), Belarus (9), Canada (1: Quebec), Estonia (2), Latvia (2), the Russian Federation (9), South Africa (1), the United Kingdom (7), United States (1: Iowa)
Total: 82 collections including 101 occurrences