Author Description

Presents competing hypotheses on dipnoan-tetrapod relationships reflecting a controversy dating back 140 years. Begins with a historical overview of the discovery and classification of the lungfish and succeeding developments in research, and includes a reference list of species of fossil and living dipnoans. Then thoroughly examines the origin, structure, and relationships of Paleozoic Dipnoi, the structure and development of the dermal skeleton, and the relationship of lungfishes to other groups of vertebrates. The work also includes review articles on natural history, feeding mechanisms, neuroanatomy, and many other related topics, closing with suggested directions for future research. Its fully indexed bibliography contains more than 2,000 publications.