Actinopterygii vs. Sarcopterygii — What's the Difference?

Actinopterygii (New Latin actino- ('having rays') + Greek πτέρυξ (ptérux 'wing, fins')), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a clade (traditionally class or subclass) of the bony fishes.The ray-finned fishes are so-called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or horny spines (rays), as opposed to the fleshy, lobed fins that characterize the class Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish). These actinopterygian fin rays attach directly to the proximal or basal skeletal elements, the radials, which represent the link or connection between these fins and the internal skeleton (e.g., pelvic and pectoral girdles).

Sarcopterygii (; from Greek: σάρξ sarx 'flesh' and πτέρυξ pteryx 'fin') — sometimes considered synonymous with Crossopterygii ("fringe-finned fish", from Greek κροσσός krossos 'fringe') — is a taxon (traditionally a class or subclass) of the bony fishes whose members are known as lobe-finned fishes. The group Tetrapoda, a superclass including amphibians, reptiles (including dinosaurs and therefore birds), and mammals, evolved from certain sarcopterygians; under a cladistic view, tetrapods are themselves considered a group within Sarcopterygii.