Osteolepidida


Osteolepidida, also known as osteolepiformes, are a group of prehistoric lobe-finned fishes which appeared first time during the Devonian period. The order contains five families: Canowindridae, Megalichthyidae, Osteolepidae, Thysanolepidae and Tristichopteridae. The superorder is generally considered to be paraphyletic because the characters that define it are mainly attributes of stem tetrapodomorphs.
Below is a cladogram showing the paraphyly of Osteolepiformes compiled and modified from Ahlberg and Johanson. See also Swartz 2012. The Osteolepiformes are marked by the green bracket.