Hongyu

Hongyu is an extinct genus of rhizodont tetrapodomorph from the late Devonian Zhongning Formation of China. The holotype of the fish is made up of the back of the skull, the first twenty-two centra of the vertebral column, and the shoulder girdle. The skull and shoulder girdle of the fish show features seen in other tetrapodamorphs like elpistostegids, causing the phylogenic placement of the genus to be unknown early on. Currently, however, a number of more recent phylogenic placements including Hongyu place it as the basal most rhizodont. The aberrant anatomy of the fish is suggested to have been due to a more benthic lifestyle than its close relatives. Hongyu lived in a freshwater environment made up of meandering streams surrounded by a woodland. Only one species has been placed within the genus: H. chowi.