Tristichopteridae

Tristichopteridae Temporal range: 392–359 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Middle - Late Devonian
Teeth of Platycephalichthys, in CosmoCaixa Barcelona
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Sarcopterygii
Clade:	Tetrapodomorpha
Clade:	Eotetrapodiformes
Family:	†Tristichopteridae Cope, 1889
Genera
†Cabonnichthys †Canningius †Edenopteron †Eusthenodon †Eusthenopteron †Heddleichthys †Hyneria †Jarvikina †Langlieria †Mandageria †Notorhizodon †Platycephalichthys †Spodichthys †Tristichopterus
Synonyms
Eusthenopteridae Berg, 1955

Tristichopterids (Tristichopteridae) were a diverse and successful group of fish-like tetrapodomorphs living throughout the Middle and Late Devonian. They first appeared in the Eifelian stage of the Middle Devonian. Within the group sizes ranged from a few tens of centimeters (Tristichopterus) to several meters (Hyneria and Eusthenodon).

Some tristichopterids share some of the features of the elpistostegalians, a diverse clade of tetrapodomorphs close to the origin of (and including) tetrapods.^{[1][better source needed]} This mainly concerns the shape of the skull and a reduction in size of the posterior fins.

An old and persistent notion is that Eusthenopteron was able to crawl onto land using its fins. However, there is no evidence actually supporting this idea.^[2] All tristichopterids had become extinct by the end of the Late Devonian.