extinct group of lobe-finned bony fishes of the order Crossopterygii that included the ancestors of amphibians and the other terrestrial vertebrates. The Rhipidistia were common during the Devonian (the Devonian Period lasted from 416 million to 359 million years ago) but became extinct during the Early Permian (the Permian Period began 299 million years ago). They were typical of early crossopterygians. Anatomical details, including skull-bone patterns, infolded (labyrinthodont) tooth enamel, and elements in the paired fins that correspond somewhat with tetrapod limb bones, support the hypothesis that rhipidistians, such as Osteolepis, were very closely related to the land-living vertebrates.