AUSTRALIAN LUNGFISH large

Neoceratodus forsteri From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Queensland lungfish Conservation status Not Evaluated Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sarcopterygii Subclass: Dipnoi Order: CeratodontiformesL. S. Berg, 1940 Family: CeratodontidaeT. N. Gill, 1873 Genus: NeoceratodusJ. L. G. Krefft, 1870 Species: N. forsteri Binomial name Neoceratodus forsteri(J. L. G. Krefft, 1870) The Queensland lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri (also known as the Australian lungfish, Burnett salmon, and barramunda) is the sole surviving member of the family Ceratodontidae and order Ceratodontiformes. It is one of only six extant lungfish species in the world. Endemic to Australia,[1] the Ceratodontidae is an ancient family belonging to the subclass Sarcopterygii, or fleshy-finned fishes. Fossil records of this group date back 380 million years, around the time when the higher vertebrate classes were beginning to evolve.[2] Fossils of lungfish almost identical to this species have been uncovered in northern New South Wales, indicating that Neoceratodus has remained virtually unchanged for well over 100 million years, making it a living fossil and one of the oldest living vertebrate genera on the planet.