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crossopterygian
[ kro-sop-tuh-rij-ee-uhn ]
noun
- any fish of the group Crossopterygii, extinct except for the coelacanth, regarded as being ancestral to amphibians and other land vertebrates.
adjective
- pertaining to or resembling a crossopterygian.
crossopterygian
/ krɒˌsɒptəˈrɪdʒɪən /
noun
- See coelacanthany bony fish of the subclass Crossopterygii, having fleshy limblike pectoral fins. The group, now mostly extinct, contains the ancestors of the amphibians See also coelacanth
adjective
- of, relating to, or belonging to the Crossopterygii
crossopterygian
/ krŏ-sŏp′tə-rĭj′ē-ən /
- Any of a mostly extinct group of lobe-finned fishes of the order Crossopterygii, whose only living member is the coelacanth. One group of crossopterygians is thought to have evolved into terrestrial vertebrates beginning in the Devonian Period.
- See more at coelacanth
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Word History and Origins
Origin of crossopterygian1
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Word History and Origins
Origin of crossopterygian1
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Example Sentences
With these remains are found also scales possibly belonging to a Crossopterygian fish (Eriptychius).
The braincase of the Carboniferous crossopterygian Megalichthys nitidus.
These are found in the garpike and in many genera of extinct Ganoid and Crossopterygian fishes.
In every modern Dipnoan, Crossopterygian, and Ganoid the air-bladder has an effective pneumatic duct.
It is not unlikely that the Crossopterygian gave rise to Amphibian and Dipnoan alike.
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