Dipnoi
Sign in to saveLungfish, also known as dipnoans, are freshwater vertebrates belonging to the class Dipnoi. Lungfish are best known for their innovative respiratory system, including the ability to breathe air, and derived structures within Sarcopterygii, including the presence of lobed fins with a well-developed internal skeleton. Lungfish represent the closest living relatives of the tetrapods (which includes living amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals). The mouths of lungfish typically bear tooth plates, which are used to crush hard shelled organisms.
AI overview
Dipnoi, commonly known as lungfish, are freshwater fish that can breathe air and have lobed fins with skeletal structures inside them, making them unique among fish. They are scientifically important because they are the closest living relatives to tetrapods—the group that includes amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals—offering insight into how vertebrates evolved from water to land.
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Article
13 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Anatomy and morphology
- Lungs
- Perfusion of water
- Perfusion of air
- Ecology and life history
- Evolution
- Extant lungfish
- Taxonomy
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Lungfish, also known as dipnoans, are freshwater vertebrates belonging to the class Dipnoi. Lungfish are best known for their innovative respiratory system, including the ability to breathe air, and derived structures within Sarcopterygii, including the presence of lobed fins with a well-developed internal skeleton. Lungfish represent the closest living relatives of the tetrapods (which includes living amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals). The mouths of lungfish typically bear tooth plates, which are used to crush hard shelled organisms.
Today there are only six known species of lungfish, living in Africa, South America, and Australia, though they were formerly globally distributed. The fossil record of the group extends into the Early Devonian, over 410 million years ago. The earliest known members of the group were marine, while almost all post-Carboniferous representatives inhabit freshwater environments.