 Recently, molecular phylogenetic studies have been undertaken which provide more accurate hypothetical frameworks for dinophysoid character evolution.A 2009 paper placed "Ornithocercus" in a group with "Citharistes" sharing a common ancestor but had insufficient data to label "Ornithocercus" as a monophyletic group (concluding however that it was a reasonable assumption that it is a monophyletic genus based on morphological similarities and sequence divergence estimates).Another contemporary investigation including representative data for the genus "Ornithocercus" determined that it was in fact monophyletic.