Hyneria

Hyneria is an extinct genus of large predatory lobe-finned fish from the Late Devonian of what is now Pennsylvania. Its best-known species, Hyneria lindae, lived about 360 million years ago.

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Hyneria lindae: Hyneria lindae is the type species of Hyneria, known from Late Devonian fossils in Pennsylvania. This species supplies the best-known evidence for the genus.
Sarcopterygii: Sarcopterygii is the vertebrate group comprising lobe-finned fishes and their tetrapod descendants. Hyneria belongs to this group, distinguished by fleshy paired fins with internal bones.
Devonian freshwater ecosystems: Devonian freshwater ecosystems were inland aquatic communities of the Devonian Period, preserved in river and lake deposits. Hyneria fossils help identify large predators within these ancient habitats.
Dunkleosteus: Dunkleosteus is an extinct genus of giant armored placoderm fish from the Late Devonian. It was another formidable Devonian predator, but belonged to a different major fish group.
Red Hill fossil site: Red Hill is a fossil locality in Pennsylvania that preserves Late Devonian plants and animals. Its deposits yielded important remains of Hyneria and other ancient organisms.
Tetrapodomorpha: Tetrapodomorpha is the sarcopterygian lineage more closely related to tetrapods than to lungfishes or coelacanths. Hyneria is placed among these fish relatives of land vertebrates.
Paleobiology: Paleobiology uses fossil evidence to study the biology and ecology of ancient organisms. Hyneria’s anatomy and fossil setting inform inferences about its way of life.
Tiktaalik: Tiktaalik is an extinct Devonian tetrapodomorph known for a mixture of fish and tetrapod-like traits. Its transitional anatomy contrasts with Hyneria’s more fish-shaped body plan.
Catskill Formation: The Catskill Formation is a Devonian sedimentary rock unit exposed across parts of the Appalachian region. Hyneria fossils occur in deposits associated with this formation.
Eusthenopteron: Eusthenopteron is an extinct Devonian tetrapodomorph fish known from fossils in Canada. It offers a well-studied comparison for the anatomy of Devonian lobe-finned fishes.