According to previous morphological studies on percoid phylogenies, Pempheridae may have a closer relationship to Glaucosomatidae, Teraponidae, Bramidae, Carangidae, Centropomidae, Kyphosidae, Leiognathidae, Menidae, Nandidae, Percichthyidae, Polynemidae, Sciaenidae or Toxotidae. About 10% of 515 fish families are soniferous and Pempheridae is one of the soniferous families in Percoidei. A pair of slits has been found at the anterodorsal sides of the swimbladder in Glaucosomatidae, Teraponidae and Pempheridae, and it suggests that they have closer relationship. And preliminary study on molecular phylogeny has evidence supporting that Glaucosomatidae and Pempheridae are sister goups. In this study, I compared the sonic muscle, swimbladder morphology, slit and associated structures in percoid soniferous fishes, including Pempheridae, Glaucosomatidae, Teraponidae, Sciaenidae, Priacanthidae, Haemulidae, Cichlidae and Pomacentridae. I found that there are synapomorphic characters in Pempheridae, Glaucosomatidae and Teraponidae; the slits and elastic tissue in the swimbladder are similar, and are limited to these three families. Furthermore, 16S rRNA, COI, Cytb and Rhodopsin gene sequences data were used for phylogenetic studies. And the results reveal that Pempheridae and Glaucosomatidae are sister groups and they are not closely related to Teraponidae. Therefore, the similary of sonic system in Teraponidae, Pempheridae and Glaucosomatidae may have evolved at least twice in the Percoidei and convergent evolution might also have taken placed.