Strunius
Extinct genus of lobe finned fish
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Strunius is an extinct genus of lobe-finned fish from the Late Devonian period of Germany and Latvia. The genus contains two named species, S. rolandi and S. walteri, as well as a third unnamed species from the Lode Quarry of Latvia.[1]
| Strunius Temporal range: Late Devonian | |
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| Body fossil of S. walteri | |
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| Artist's restoration of S. rolandi | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | †Onychodontiformes |
| Family: | †Onychodontidae (?) |
| Genus: | †Strunius Gross, 1956 |
| Type species | |
| †Strunius rolandi Gross, 1956 | |
| Species | |
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Description
Although it was a lobe-finned fish, Strunius' fins were supported by fin rays and appear closer in form to those of ray-finned fish. However, its skull was composed of two articulating halves, a feature characteristic of the lobe-finned rhipidistians. The skull was also divided by a deep articulation, with both halves probably connected by a large muscles, increasing the strength of the animal's bite.[2] The same system is seen in coelacanths and the better-known genus Eusthenopteron.
Compared to other lobe-finned fishes, Strunius had a rather short, stubby body, and was just 10 centimetres (4 in) long. It was covered in large, round, bony scales, and probably fed on other fishes.[2]
