Panderichthys

Panderichthys
Temporal range: Late Devonian, 380 Ma
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Skull cast, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle, Lille
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Sarcopterygii
Clade: Tetrapodomorpha
Clade: Elpistostegalia
Family: †Panderichthyidae
Vorobyeva, 1968
Genus: †Panderichthys
Gross, 1941
Type species
†Panderichthys rhombolepis
Gross, 1941
Species
  • †P. stolbovi? Vorobyeva, 1960
  • †P. rhombolepis Gross, 1941

Panderichthys is a genus of extinct sarcopterygian (lobe-finned fish) from the late Devonian period, about 380 Mya. Panderichthys, which was recovered from Frasnian (early Late Devonian) deposits in Latvia, is represented by two species. P. stolbovi is known only from some snout fragments and an incomplete lower jaw. P. rhombolepis is known from several more complete specimens. Although it probably belongs to a sister group of the earliest tetrapods, Panderichthys exhibits a range of features transitional between tristichopterid lobe-fin fishes (e.g., Eusthenopteron) and early tetrapods.[1] It is named after the German-Baltic paleontologist Christian Heinrich Pander. Possible tetrapod tracks dating back to before the appearance of Panderichthys in the fossil record were reported in 2010, which suggests that Panderichthys is not a direct ancestor of tetrapods, but nonetheless shows the traits that evolved during the fish-tetrapod evolution [2]

  1. ^ Murphy, Dennis C. "Panderichthys spp". Devonian Times. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Niedzwiedzki was invoked but never defined (see the help page).