Otoliths are a powerful tool in reconstructing the family tree of the Gadidae in its strict sense, thus only including the cods with three dorsal fins. To a certain degree, the evolutionary distance between the species can already be deduced from the morphology of the otoliths of recent species and from their genetics, but can be understood more profoundly by studying their fossil otoliths. A lot of new fossil gadid otoliths and lineages have been found in the last years. Every lineage of cod otoliths consists of always the same four phylogenetic stages. There are no further stages, thus every lineage becomes extinct. But long before an old lineage becomes extinct, one or more new lineages can arise in the same area as the old one, always suddenly starting with a new stage one. Gradual transitions between the many old and new lineages have never been found, and, according to the pattern, can not exist. It can be shown by their otoliths that Micromesistius and Gadiculus are more related to one another than to other gadids. Their common ancestor dates back to the beginning of the Oligocene, about 34 million years ago. The evolution towards the two recent Micromesistius species is rather straightforward. There is evidence of seven succeeding and partly overlapping lineages of which every new lineage gets larger and more slender otoliths. The evolution towards the two recent Gadiculus species from the Early Oligocene up to the Recent is much more complicated and includes a large number of lineages that became extinct without giving birth to lineages still living today. The basal pattern in all otolith lineages that over and over again has been found and could be confirmed, shows convincingly that it cannot be explained by the Darwinian hypothesis of evolution, because Darwin starts from another pattern that does not exist in reality. The fundamental consequences are briefly discussed.