About the Protopteridae Family

The Protopteridae is a family of sarcopterygii placed in the order Sarcopterygii.

Like other members of Sarcopterygii, these fishes share the group's defining traits: They are lobe-finned fishes (coelacanths, lungfishes), the sister group to land vertebrates.

Families such as Protopteridae contribute to the extraordinary breadth of form and ecology seen across Sarcopterygii, ranging from open-water and reef dwellers to riverine and deep-sea forms depending on the lineage. It embraces roughly 4 accepted species in the global checklist.