Sarcopterygii
Also known as lobe-finned fishes, lobe-finned fish
Sarcopterygii (; )—sometimes considered synonymous with Crossopterygii ()—is a clade (traditionally a class or subclass) of vertebrate animals which includes a group of bony fishes commonly referred to as lobe-finned fishes. These vertebrates are characterised by prominent muscular limb buds (lobes) within their fins, which are supported by articulated appendicular skeletons. This is in contrast to the other clade of bony fishes, the Actinopterygii, which have only skin-covered bony spines supporting the fins.
AI overview
Sarcopterygii is a group of bony fishes known as lobe-finned fishes, distinguished by muscular, lobed fins supported by skeletal structures inside them, unlike other bony fishes whose fins are supported only by bony spines. This group matters because their unique fin structure represents a fundamentally different body design among vertebrates that sets them apart from the more familiar ray-finned fishes.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Species
Gigaclass
- PhylumChordata
Habitatmarine, brackish, freshwater
via
Article
14 sectionsContents
- Characteristics
- Classification
- Ahlberg (1991)
- Nelson ''et al''. (2016)
- Betancur-Rodrigues ''et al''. (2017)
- Tedersoo (2017)
- Taxonomy
- Evolution
- Hypotheses for means of pre-adaptation
- History through to the end-Permian extinction
- Phylogeny
- See also
- Footnotes
- References
Sarcopterygii (; )—sometimes considered synonymous with Crossopterygii ()—is a clade (traditionally a class or subclass) of vertebrate animals which includes a group of bony fishes commonly referred to as lobe-finned fishes. These vertebrates are characterised by prominent muscular limb buds (lobes) within their fins, which are supported by articulated appendicular skeletons. This is in contrast to the other clade of bony fishes, the Actinopterygii, which have only skin-covered bony spines supporting the fins.
The tetrapods, a mostly terrestrial clade of vertebrates, are now recognized as having evolved from sarcopterygian ancestors and are most closely related to lungfishes. Their paired pectoral and pelvic fins evolved into limbs, and their foregut diverticulum eventually evolved into air-breathing lungs. Cladistically, this would make the tetrapods a subgroup within Sarcopterygii and thus sarcopterygians themselves. As a result, the phrase "lobe-finned fish" normally refers to not the entire clade but only aquatic members that are not tetrapods, i.e. a paraphyletic group.