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Dipterus

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Dipterus
Temporal range: Devonian, EifelianGivetian
Dipterus valenciennesi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Sarcopterygii
Class: Dipnoi
Family: Dipteridae
Genus: Dipterus
Sedgwick & Murchison, 1828
Type species
Dipterus valenciennesi
Sedgwick & Murchison, 1828
Other species[1]
  • D. contraversus Hay, 1899
  • D. crassus Gross, 1933
  • D. macropterus (Traquair, 1888)
  • D. serratus (Eichwald, 1844)

Dipterus (from Greek: δίς dís, 'two' and Greek: πτερόν pteron 'wing')[2] is an extinct genus of lungfish from the middle Devonian period of Europe and North America.

Restoration
Illustration of Dipterus valenciennesi

In most respects, Dipterus, which was about 35 centimetres (14 in) long, closely resembled modern lungfish. Like its ancestor Dipnorhynchus, it had tooth-like plates on its palate instead of real teeth. However, unlike its modern relatives, in which the dorsal, caudal, and anal fin are fused into one, Dipterus's fins were still separated.[3]

The genus was established by Adam Sedgwick & Roderick Murchison in the year 1828.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Fossilworks: Dipterus".
  2. ^ Roberts, George (1839). An etymological and explanatory dictionary of the terms and language of geology. London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longmans. p. 50. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  3. ^ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 45. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.