Dinichthys was originally described in 1868 by John Newberry on the basis of an incomplete skull roof and mandibles (holotypeAMNH 81). Subsequently, many unrelated large arthrodires were originally classified together within this genus, including species now assigned to Dunkleosteus, Eastmanosteus, and Titanichthys. Notably, the type species of Dunkleosteus was originally described as Dinichthys terrelli by Newberry in 1873, and was later separated into Dunkleosteus by Jean-Pierre Lehman in 1956. Dunkleosteus was still thought to be closely related to Dinichthys, and they were grouped together in the familyDinichthyidae. However, in the 2010 Carr & Hlavin phylogenetic study, Dunkleosteus and Dinichthys were found to belong to two separate clades. Carr & Hlavin resurrected the family Dunkleosteidae and placed Dunkleosteus, Eastmanosteus, and a few other genera from Dinichthyidae within it.[2] Dinichthyidae, in turn, is left a monospecific family[3] and dismissed as a family grouping,[4] and the genus Dinichthys is now considered a monotypic genus, containing only the type species, D. herzeri.[2]
↑You-An Zhu; Min Zhu (2013). "A redescription of Kiangyousteus yohii (Arthrodira: Eubrachythoraci) from the Middle Devonian of China, with remarks on the systematics of the Eubrachythoraci". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 169 (4): 798–819. doi:10.1111/zoj12089.
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