Morphology-based phylogenetic studies of the lanternfishes (family Myctophidae) are reviewed the synapomorphies used to define traditionally-recog-nized subfamilies and tribes being surveyed. Re-analyses of 63 previously-re-ported characters indicated monophyly of the following taxa supported by unambiguous synapomorphies: subfamilies Myctophinae and Lampanyctinae and tribes Gymnoscopelini and Gonichthyini. Other tribes either failed to form clades (Myctophini, Electronini, Lampanyctini) or did so, but without the support by unambiguous synapomorphies (Diaphini). For evaluation of the monophyly of these clades, the following aspects are important: (1) character survey at species' level; and (2) assessment of homologies at the species' level between myctophids and neoscopelids. In addition, because reconstruction of the evolutionary processes of morphological characters, based on the “morphology-based tree”, involves circular logic, molecular phylogenetic approaches are now seen as indispensable. A robust molecular phylogenetic tree may contribute to a better understanding of the evolutionary patterns and processes of morphological characters.