Esox masquinongy (Mitchell 1824; up to 1.2m in length) is the extant muskellunge (muskie). Freshwater Esox nests with marine Sphyraena in the LRT. This barracuda sister has tiny premaxillary teeth, large palatal teeth and even larger dentary teeth. The tail vertebrae rise posteriorly to create a heterocercal substructure. .

Sphyraena barracuda (originally Esox sphyraena Linneaus 1758; up to 165cm in length) is the extant barracuda, closely related to other long, fast, sharp-toothed predators, like Tylosurus – and to slow, blunt-toothed coral nibblers, like the pycnodonts. Note the tiny remnants of the postorbital and jugal rimming the sclerotic ring. The caudal region makes up most of the body based on the anterior migration of the pelvic fins. Barracudas are fast and wide-ranging open water swimmers. Females can release 5000 to 30,000 eggs and hatchlings resemble little adults.

Flagellipinna rhomboides (Cawley and Kriwet 2019; Late Cretaceous) is traditionally considered a diamond-shaped pycnodontiform fish, but here this angelfish-mimic nests between Sphyraena, the extant barracuda and Pycnodus.

Pycnodus platessus (Agassiz 1835; Late Jurassic, 30cm long) is the first known pycnodontiform, a clade traditionally considered extinct, but now known as a clade close to Sphyraena, the extant barracuda and Late CretaceousFlagellipina.