Definition of sarcopterygian
: of, relating to, or belonging to the Sarcopterygii : lobe-finned
- [The coelacanth] is the only living representative of a group of sarcopterygian fishes thought to be extinct since the Late Cretaceous period …
- —Kim Honey, Globe and Mail (Toronto), 18 Jan. 1999
- … supporting the hypothesis that the neural basis of vocal circuits arose before the divergence of sarcopterygian and actinopterygian branches of the vertebrate phylogeny.
- —Daniel Margoliash and Melina E. Hale, Science, 18 July 2008
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sarcopterygian
noun, plural sarcopterygians-
- Lobe-finned fish like the coelacanth and lungfish are known to zoologists as sarcopterygians, meaning fleshy fins. Tetrapods, including people, are descended from this group …
- —Nicolas Wade, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2013
