Chondrostei are primarily cartilaginous fish showing some degree of ossification. It is thought that the cartilaginous condition is derived, and that the ancestors of this group were bony fish with fully ossified skeletons. Members of this group share with the Elasmobranchii certain features such as the possession of spiracles, a heterocercal tail and the absence of scales. Nevertheless the fossil record suggests they have more in common with the teleosts. The Chondrostei is probably a paraphyletic grouping; the fifty-two living species are divided among two orders, the Acipenseriformes (sturgeons and paddlefishes), and the Polypteriformes (reedfishes and bichirs).

Chondrostei are primarily cartilaginous fish showing some degree of ossification. It is thought that the cartilaginous condition is derived, and that the ancestors of this group were bony fish with fully ossified skeletons. Members of this group share with the Elasmobranchii certain features such as the possession of spiracles, a heterocercal tail and the absence of scales. Nevertheless the fossil record suggests they have more in common with the teleosts. The Chondrostei is probably a paraphyletic grouping; the fifty-two living species are divided among two orders, the Acipenseriformes (sturgeons and paddlefishes), and the Polypteriformes (reedfishes and bichirs).