Rhipidistia
/ˌrɪpɪˈdɪstiə/noun
A taxonomic group of lobe-finned fishes, traditionally including the ancestors of land vertebrates.
Did you know?Rhipidistians are significant in evolutionary history because their paired fins and internal skeletal structures resemble the anatomical beginnings of tetrapod limbs.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ῥιπίς (rhipís), ῥιπίδος (rhipídos)
“A fan or something fan-shaped”
19th Century
Scientific Greek
rhipid-
“A combining form referring to fan-shaped structures”
1871
English scientific nomenclature
Rhipidistia
“A taxonomic name coined for fan-finned lobe-finned fishes”
19th–20th Century
English
Rhipidistia
“A group of extinct lobe-finned fishes, often treated as related to or ancestral to tetrapods”
Modern English
English
Rhipidistia
“A historical or taxonomic grouping of sarcopterygian fishes, especially forms near the fish-to-tetrapod transition”
Explore more surprising origins