Subclass Crossopterygii (Noun)
Meaning
Fishes having paired fins resembling limbs and regarded as ancestral to amphibians.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- The fossil record shows that the earliest tetrapods evolved from the subclass Crossopterygii, a group of fish with limb-like fins.
- Some of the most well-known crossopterygians include the Coelacanth and Tiktaalik, both of which are members of the subclass Crossopterygii.
- The subclass Crossopterygii also includes extinct species such as Pederpes and Acanthostega, which were some of the first fish-like creatures to venture onto land.
- Crossopterygians in the subclass Crossopterygii are characterized by their unique lobe-finned limbs, which eventually evolved into the limbs of modern tetrapods.
- The discovery of the Tiktaalik, a member of the subclass Crossopterygii, shed new light on the evolution of tetrapods from fish-like ancestors.