Amphiaspis
| Amphiaspis Temporal range: Early Emsian | |
|---|---|
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| Amphiaspis argo reconstruction | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Pteraspidomorphi |
| Order: | Cyathaspidiformes |
| Family: | Amphiaspididae |
| Genus: | Amphiaspis |
| Species: | A. argo |
| Binomial name | |
| Amphiaspis argo Obruchev, 1936 | |
Amphiaspis argo is the type species of the cyathaspidid taxon Amphiaspidida, and of the family Amphiaspididae. [1] Its fossils are restricted to early Emsian-aged marine strata of the Taimyr Peninsula, Early Devonian Siberia. A. argo, as with all other amphiaspidids, is thought to have been a benthic filter feeder that lived on top of, or buried just below the surface of the substrate of hypersaline lagoon-bottoms.
Anatomy
So far, A. argos is known from at least one, incomplete cephalothoracic armor that is shaped vaguely like a pillow and is, from anterior to posterior, 24 centimeters long.[1] The armor has a pattern of lateral sensory line canals. There is a prominent dorsal spine on the dorsoposterior end of the cephalothoracic armor. The animal had small, possibly degenerate eyes that were flanked laterally by a small, crescent-shaped preorbital opening at the anterior end of the armor. The small eyes, in turn, laterally flank a small, slit-shaped mouth at the center of the anterior-most end of the cephalothorax.