“All of these studies have presupposed acanthodian monophyly and stereotyped acanthodian endoskeletal morphology on Acanthodes, the latest-occurring, and a highly apomorphic genus.”

“Their monophyly is undisputed, given the five elongate, stiff mouthpart elements forming a distinctive beak, and an enlarged clypeus.”

“For comparison, monophyly of angiosperms and spermatophytes is supported by 532 and 631 positions, respectively.”