Pteraspis

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Pteraspis
Temporal range: Early Devonian
Artist's restoration
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Heterostraci
Order: Pteraspidiformes
Family: Pteraspidae
Genus: Pteraspis
Species: P. stensioei
Binomial name
Pteraspis stensioei

Pteraspis (meaning wing shield) is an extinct genus of primitive jawless fish that lived in the Devonian period of what is now Britain and Belgium.

Fossil of Pteraspis crouchi in the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago

Like other heterostracan fishes, Pteraspis had a protective armored plating covering the front of its body. Though lacking fins other than its lobed tail, it is thought to have been a good swimmer thanks to stiff, wing-like protrusions derived from the armoured plates over its gills. This, along with the horn-like rostrum, made Pteraspis very streamlined in shape; a perfect quality for a good swimmer. Pteraspis also had some stiff spikes on its back, possibly an additional form of protection against predators. It is thought to have fed from shoals of plankton just under the ocean surface,[1] and is found in association with marine fossils.[2][3]

Pteraspis grew to a length of 8 inches (20 centimeters).

References

  • Parker, Steve. Dinosaurus: the complete guide to dinosaurs. Firefly Books Inc, 2003. Pg. 59
  1. ↑ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 23. ISBN 1-84028-152-9. 
  2. ↑ Lankester, E. R. (2009). I.—On a New Cephalaspis Discovered in America, etc 7. p. 397. doi:10.1017/S0016756800209485. 
  3. ↑ White, E. I. (1938). New Pteraspids from South Wales 94. p. 85. doi:10.1144/GSL.JGS.1938.094.01-04.05. 
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