Lungfishes Fossil range: Early Devonian - Recent
Queensland Lungfish
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Class: Sarcopterygii Subclass: Dipnoi Müller, 1844
Orders
See text. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... For the Celtic language, see Southwestern Brythonic language; for the residents of the English county, see Devon. ... Download high resolution version (849x347, 43 KB)my own picture File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Binomial name Neoceratodus forsteri Krefft, 1870 The Queensland Lungfish, also known as Burnett Salmon and Barramunda, is the sole member of the family Ceratodontidae, and one of the only six lungfish species that remain. ... For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Subclasses Coelacanthimorpha - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Tetrapoda Sarcopterygii is traditionally the class of lobe-finned fishes, consisting of lungfish and coelacanths. ... Johannes Peter Müller (July 14, 1801, Koblenz – April 28, 1858, Berlin), was a German physiologist, comparative anatomist, and ichthyologist not only known for his discoveries but also for his ability to synthesize knowledge. ...

Lungfish are freshwater fishes belonging to the Subclass Dipnoi. Lungfish are best-known for retaining characteristics primitive within the Osteichthyes, including the ability to breathe air, and structures primitive within Sarcopterygii, including the presence of lobed fins with a well-developed internal skeleton. Today, they live only in Africa, South America, and Australia. While vicariance would suggest this represents an ancient distribution limited to the Mesozoic supercontinent Gondwana, the fossil record suggests that advanced lungfish had a cosmopolitan freshwater distribution and that the current distribution of modern lungfish species reflects extinction of many lineages following the breakup of Pangea, Gondwana, and Laurasia. In biology, a subclass is one level below a class. ... Classes Actinopterygii Sarcopterygii Osteichthyes are a taxonomic superclass of fish, also called bony fish that includes the ray-finned fish (Actinopterygii) and lobe finned fish (Sarcopterygii). ... Subclasses Coelacanthimorpha - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Tetrapoda Sarcopterygii is traditionally the class of lobe-finned fishes, consisting of lungfish and coelacanths. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... The separate occurrence of corresponding species in corresponding but separate environments, divided by a natural barrier; i. ... The Mesozoic Era is one of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon. ... In geology, a supercontinent is a land mass comprising more than one continental core, or craton. ... For other uses of Gondwana and Gondwanaland, see Gondwana (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Fossil (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Extinction (disambiguation). ... Pangea may refer to: a common alternative spelling of the name Pangaea given to the supercontinent that is believed to have existed during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras Pangea, a geology equipment supplier/developer of mineralogical testing equipment Pangea (cable system), a submarine telecommunications cable system connecting the Netherlands and... For other uses of Gondwana and Gondwanaland, see Gondwana (disambiguation). ... Laurasia was a supercontinent that most recently existed as a part of the split of the Pangaean supercontinent in the late Mesozoic era. ...

Anatomy and morphology

All lungfish demonstrate an uninterrupted cartilaginous notochord and an extensively developed palatal dentition. Basal lungfish groups may retain marginal teeth and an ossified braincase, but derived lungfish taxa, including all modern species, show a significant reduction in marginal bones and a cartilaginous braincase. The bones of the skull roof in primitive lungfish are covered in a mineralized tissue called cosmine, but in post-devonian lungfishes, the skull roof is subdermal and the cosmine covering is lost. All modern lungfish show significant reductions and fusions of the bones of the skull roof, and the specific bones of the skull roof show no homology to the skull roof bones of actinopterygiians or tetrapods. The notochord is a flexible, rod-shaped body found in embryos of all chordates. ... Types of teeth Molars are used for grinding up foods Carnassials are used for slicing food. ... A taxon (plural taxa) is an element of a taxonomy, e. ... For the Celtic language, see Southwestern Brythonic language; for the residents of the English county, see Devon. ... In biology, homology is any similarity between structures that is due to their shared ancestry. ... Orders See text The Actinopterygii are the ray-finned fish. ... Classes Synapsida Sauropsida Amphibia A tetrapod (Greek tetrapoda, four-legged) is a vertebrate animal having four feet, legs or leglike appendages. ...

The dentition of lungfish is conspicuously different from that of any other vertebrate group. Odontodes on the palate and lower jaws develop in a series of rows to form a fan-shaped occlusion surface. These odontodes then wear to form a uniform crushing surface. In several groups, including the modern lepidosireniformes, these ridges have been modified to form occluding blades. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Odontodes, or dermal teeth, are hard structures found on the external surfaces of animals or near internal openings. ... A term indicating that the state of something, which is normally open, is now totally closed. ... For the musical band, see Lungfish (band). ...

The modern lungfishes have a number of larval features, which suggest paedomorphosis. They also demonstrate the largest genome among the vertebrates. Paedomorphosis is a biological term describing the retention of ancestral infantile or juvenile traits in an adult organism. ... In biology the genome of an organism is the whole hereditary information of an organism that is encoded in the DNA (or, for some viruses, RNA). ...

Modern lungfish all have an elongate body with fleshy paired pectoral and pelvic fins and a single unpaired caudal fin replacing the dorsal, caudal, and anal fin of most fishes. Fish anatomy is primarily governed by the physical characteristics of water, which is much denser than air, holds a relatively small amount of dissolved oxygen, and absorbs light more than does air. ... Fish anatomy is primarily governed by the physical characteristics of water, which is much denser than air, holds a relatively small amount of dissolved oxygen, and absorbs light more than does air. ...

Ecology and life history

Behavior

African and South American lungfish are capable of surviving seasonal desiccation of habitats by burrowing into mud and estivating throughout the dry season. Changes in physiology allow the lungfish to slow its metabolism to as little as 1/60th of the normal metabolic rate, and protein waste is converted from ammonia to less-toxic urea (normally, lungfish excrete nitrogenous waste as ammonia directly into the water). Burrowing is seen in at least one group of fossil lungfish, the Gnathorhizidae. It has been proposed both that burrowing is plesiomorphic for lungfish as well as that gnathorhizids are directly ancestral to modern Lepidosireniformes, but it is possible that the similarity is simply due to convergent evolution or parallel evolution. Lungfish can be extremely long-lived. The Queensland species lungfish at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago has been part of the permanent live collection since 1933. Desiccation is the state of extreme dryness, or the process of extreme drying. ... Estivation or aestivation (from Latin aestas, summer) is a state of dormancy similar to hibernation. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Structure of the coenzyme adenosine triphosphate, a central intermediate in energy metabolism. ... A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ... For other uses, see Ammonia (disambiguation). ... Toxic redirects here, but this is also the name of a song by Britney Spears; see Toxic (song) Look up toxic and toxicity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Urea is an organic compound with the chemical formula (NH2)2CO. Urea is also known as carbamide, especially in the recommended International Nonproprietary Names (rINN) in use in Europe. ... For other uses, see Fossil (disambiguation). ... Genera Gnathorhiza Monongahela Beltanodus ?Microceratodus Namatozodia go away little fish The Gnanthorhizidae are an extinct family of lungfish that lived from the late Carboniferous until the middle Triassic. ... This cladogram shows the relationship among various insect groups. ... In evolutionary biology, convergent evolution is the process whereby organisms not closely related, independently evolve similar traits as a result of having to adapt to similar environments or ecological niches. ... Bee hovering in flight In evolutionary biology, parallel evolution refers to the independent evolution of similar traits in closely related lineages of species, while convergent evolution refers to the appearance of striking similarities among lineages of organisms only very distantly related. ... Slogan or Nickname: Sunshine State, Smart State Motto(s): Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Anna Bligh (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 28  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $158,506 (3rd... John G. Shedd Aquarium is an indoor aquarium in Chicago, Illinois in the United States. ... Nickname: Motto: Urbs in Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country State Counties Cook, DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City 234. ...

Taxonomy

The relationship of lungfishes to the rest of Osteichthyes is well-understood: Classes Actinopterygii Sarcopterygii Osteichthyes are a taxonomic superclass of fish, also called bony fish that includes the ray-finned fish (Actinopterygii) and lobe finned fish (Sarcopterygii). ...

• Lungfishes clade closest with Powichthyes, and then with the Porolepiformes.
• Together, these taxa form the Dipnomorpha, the sister group to the Tetrapodomorpha.
• Together, these form the Rhipidistia, the sister group to the coelacanths.

The relationship 'among' lungfishes to each other is significantly more difficult to resolve. While Devonian lungfish retain enough ossification of the endocranium to determine relationships, post-Devonian lungfish are represented entirely by skull roofs and teeth, as the rest of the skull is cartilaginous. Additionally, many of the taxa that have been identified may not be monophyletic. Current phylogenetic studies support the following relationships of major lungfish taxa: For the musical band, see Lungfish (band). ... Subgroups See text Tetrapodomorpha is a clade of vertebrates, consisting of sarcopterygians with a number of features of tetrapods. ... Orders See text The Rhipidistia are an extinct type of lobe-finned fishes. ... Families See text. ... Cartilage is a type of dense connective tissue. ... In phylogenetics, a group is monophyletic (Greek: of one stem) if all organisms in that group are known to have developed from a common ancestral form, and all descendants of that form are included in the group. ...

Subclass Sarcopterygii
Order Dipnoi

 ,--†Family Diabolichthyidae | ,--†Family Uranolophidae | | __,--†Family Speonesydrionidae '-|-| '--†Family Dipnorhynchidae | ,--†Family Stomiahykidae '---| ___ ,--†Family Chirodipteridae | '-|--†Family Holodontidae |------†Family Dipteridae | __,--†Family Fleurantiidae '-| '--†Family Rhynchodipteridae '--†Family Phaneropleuridae | ,--†Family Ctenodontidae '-| ,--†Family Sagenodontidae '-|--†Family Gnathorhizidae '--Order Ceratodontiformes |--†family Asiatoceratodontidae |--†Family Ptychoceratodontidae |--Family Ceratodontidae | '--†Genus Ceratodus | '--†Genus Metaceratodus '--Family Neoceratodontidae | '--†Genus Mioceratodus | '--Genus Neoceratodus - Queensland lungfish '--Order Lepidosireniformes '--Family Lepidosirenidae - South American lungfish '--Family Protopteridae - African lungfish 

Genera Gnathorhiza Monongahela Beltanodus ?Microceratodus Namatozodia go away little fish The Gnanthorhizidae are an extinct family of lungfish that lived from the late Carboniferous until the middle Triassic. ... Binomial name Neoceratodus forsteri The Queensland Lungfish is the sole member of the family Ceratodontidae, and one of the only three lungfish species that remain. ... Binomial name Neoceratodus forsteri The Queensland Lungfish is the sole member of the family Ceratodontidae, and one of the only three lungfish species that remain. ... Binomial name Neoceratodus forsteri Krefft, 1870 The Queensland Lungfish, also known as Burnett Salmon and Barramunda, is the sole member of the family Ceratodontidae, and one of the only six lungfish species that remain. ... Binomial name Lepidosiren paradoxa The South American Lungfish (Lepidosiren paradoxa Fitzinger 1837) is the single species of lungfish found in swamps and slow-moving waters of South America. ... Binomial name Lepidosiren paradoxa The South American Lungfish (Lepidosiren paradoxa Fitzinger 1837) is the single species of lungfish found in swamps and slow-moving waters of South America. ... Species Protopterus aethiopicus Protopterus amphibius Protopterus annectens Protopterus dolloi The African lungfish are the genus Protopterus and constitute the four species of lungfish found in Africa. ... Species Protopterus aethiopicus Protopterus amphibius Protopterus annectens Protopterus dolloi The African lungfish are the genus Protopterus and constitute the four species of lungfish found in Africa. ...

References

• Ahlberg, PE, Smith, MM, and Johanson, Z, (2006). Developmental plasticity and disparity in early dipnoan (lungfish) dentitions. Evolution and Development 8(4):331-349.
• Palmer, Douglas, Ed. The Simon & Schuster Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Cretures. A Visual Who's Who of Prehistoric Life. Pg. 45. Great Britain: Marshall Editions Developments Limited. 1999.
• Schultze, HP, and Chorn, J., (1997). The Permo-Herbivorus genus Sagenodus and the beginning of modern lungfish. Contributions to Zoology 61(7):9-70.

External links

Wikispecies has information related to:

Dipnoi

Wikibooks' Dichotomous Key has more about this subject:

Dipnoi

• Dr Anne Kemps - Lungfish Information site
• Lungfish information site
• Dipnoiformes at Palaeos.com
• Dipnoi at the University of California Museum of Paleontology
• Tree of life illustration showing lungfish's relation to other organisms