Strunius

{{short description|Extinct genus of lobe finned fish from the late Devonian of Germany}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| fossil_range = Late Devonian

| image = Strunius rolandi.jpg

| image_caption = Restoration of S. rolandi

| taxon = Strunius

| authority = Jessen, 1966

| type_species = {{extinct}}Strunius rolandi

| type_species_authority = Jessen, 1966

}}

Strunius is an extinct genus of lobe-finned fish from the Late Devonian period of Germany and Latvia.{{Cite journal |last=Upeniece |first=Ieva |title=A new species of Strunius(Sarcopterygii; Onychodontida) from Latvia; Lode quarry (Upper Devonian) |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/213775369 |journal=ResearchGate}}

File:2Strunius.jpg

Although it was a lobe-finned fish, Strunius' fins were supported by fin rays, which are more associated with ray-finned fish. However, its skull was composed of two articulating halves, a feature characteristic of the lobe-finned rhipidistians. The skull was also divided by a deep articulation, with both halves probably connected by a large muscle, increasing the power of the bite.{{cite book |editor=Palmer, D.|year=1999 |title= The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals|publisher= Marshall Editions|location=London|page= 42|isbn= 1-84028-152-9}} The same system is seen in coelacanths and the better-known Eusthenopteron.

Compared to other lobe-finned fishes, Strunius had a rather short, stubby body, and was just {{convert|10|cm|in|sigfig=1}} long. It was covered in large, round, bony scales, and probably fed on other fishes.