This list of lobe-finned fish is a comprehensive listing of all genera that have ever been included in the class Sarcopterygii, excluding purely vernacular terms and Tetrapods. The list includes all commonly accepted genera, but also genera that are now considered invalid, doubtful (nomen dubium), or were not formally published (nomen nudum), as well as junior synonyms.
Extant genera are bolded. All non-bolded genera are extinct.
There is no official, canonical list of lobe-finned fish genera.
The authors column lists the authors of the formal description responsible for the erection of the genus listed. They are not necessarily the same as the authors of the type species as sometimes a species from one genus is determined sufficiently distinct to warrant the erection of a new genus to house it. If this is the case, only the latter authors will be listed. The year column notes the year the description was published.
Naming conventions and terminology follow the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Technical terms used include:
The age column denotes the epoch of geologic time to which the fossils date. The abbreviations are as follows.
Genera that are invalid, misidentified, or otherwise do not represent a valid sarcopterygian are listed as age N/A because there was never a time in which a sarcopterygian by that generic name actually lived.
The location column designates the geographic region where remains of the relevant genus have been found. The regions used are continents except in the case of smaller landmasses (e.g. Cuba). Political bodies, being non-existent in the Mesozoic are not used to indicate genera locations. Genera that are invalid, misidentified, or otherwise do not represent a valid sarcopterygian are listed as location N/A because there was never a place in which a sarcopterygian by that generic name actually lived. Extant marine sarcopterygians are listed by ocean. Extant freshwater sarcopterygians are listed by continent. The notes column is a collection of annotations on the scientific significance and taxonomic history of listed genera, as well as elaborations on the information presented in other columns.