File:Neoceratodus_forsteri,_2014-09-19.JPG · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ168422· pop 75· linked from 610 articles

Dipnoi

Also known as salamanderfish, lungfish

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.

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.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Species

Superclass

PhylumChordata

Habitatfreshwater

via

Wikidata facts

Image: Australian-Lungfish.jpg

Show 3 more facts

taxon name: Dipnoi
Commons category: Dipnoi
taxon common name: dipnoo

Sources (6)

via Wikidata · CC0

~16 min read

Article

13 sections

Contents

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

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.