rhipidistian
/ˌrɪpɪˈdɪstɪən/Palaeontology
adjective
Of or relating to the group Rhipidistia of extinct lobe-finned fishes, known from fossil remains of the Devonian, Carboniferous, and early Permian periods, and now usually regarded as the ancestors of all tetrapods.
- The rhipidistians have traditionally been regarded as crossopterygians. The taxon is now seen as paraphyletic, probably representing the crown group of all higher vertebrates..
noun
A rhipidistian fish.
Origin
Early 20th century; earliest use found in Annals of the New York Academy of Science. From scientific Latin Rhipidistia, group name (E. D. Cope 1887, in Amer. Naturalist 211017; from ancient Greek ῥιπίδ-, ῥιπίς fan + ἱστίον sail + scientific Latin -a) + -an.