Dipterus

Not to be confused with Diptera.

Dipterus (from Greek: δίς dís, 'two' and Greek: πτερόν pteron 'wing')^[2] is an extinct genus of marine lungfish from the middle Devonian period of Europe and potentially North America. The genus was established by Adam Sedgwick & Roderick Murchison in the year 1828. It was one of the first lungfish to be described by science.

Restoration

Illustration of Dipterus valenciennesi

Dipterus Temporal range: Devonian, Eifelian–Givetian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Fossil of D. valenciennesi from Scotland
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Dipnoi
Family:	†Dipteridae
Genus:	†Dipterus Sedgwick & Murchison, 1828
Type species
Dipterus valenciennesi Sedgwick & Murchison, 1828
Other species[1]
D. contraversus Hay, 1899 D. crassus Gross, 1933 D. macropterus (Traquair, 1888) D. serratus (Eichwald, 1844)

In most respects, Dipterus, which was about 35 centimetres (14 in) long, closely resembled modern lungfish. Like its ancestor Dipnorhynchus, it had tooth-like plates on its palate instead of real teeth. However, unlike its modern relatives, in which the dorsal, caudal, and anal fin are fused into one, Dipterus's fins were still separated.^[3]

The following species are known:^[4][5]

• D. macropterus Traquair, 1888 - Lower Old Red Sandstone of Scotland
•  ?D. marginalis (Agassiz, 1845) - Devonian of Leningrad Oblast, Russia
•  ?D. radiatus (Eichwald, 1844) - Devonian of Leningrad Oblast, Russia
•  ?D. serratus (Eichwald, 1844) - Eifelian of Latvia, Estonia, and Leningrad, Russia
• D. valenciennesi Sedgwick & Murchison, 1828 (type species) - Lower Old Red Sandstone of Scotland, including the Orkney Isles, potentially Oberer Plattenkalk of Germany^[6]

Many other species from Europe and North America have also been described based on isolated tooth plates, though due to their fragmentary nature, their exact taxonomic affinity is uncertain.^[4][5]