Lobe-finned Fishes - Class Sarcopterygii

Lobe-finned fishes (Class Sarcopterygii) are a group of bony fishes that have paired fins that are at their base fleshy lobes. They are one of two main groups of vertebrates, the other being the Class Arctinopterygii, commonly known as the ray-finned fishes. Lobe-finned fishes hold special interest to evolutionary biologists because members of this group are thought to have given rise to the first four-legged land vertebrates (tetrapods). Modern lobe-finned fishes include lungfishes and coelacanths.