Petalichthyida

Lunaspis Broili in the American Museum of Natural History in New York

• Europe, North America, Asia
• Morocco, Australia

The Petalichthyida ( Petalichthyformes ) are a group of extinct placoderms, fishy, armored vertebrates from the Devonian. They were ground-dwelling marine animals. Overall, only eight species have been described. The group reached their highest diversity in the Lower Devonian, only a few species survived until the Late Devonian.

Features

They resemble primitive Arthrodiren, but the fuselage tank was shorter and did not close behind the pectoral fins. Her body was flattened, the eyes were on the top of the head, the pectoral fins were far away from the body. On all plates of bone armor, there were protruding, characteristic lines and tubercle-like elevations. Jaw and mouth of Petalichthyida are obtained in any of the fossils found.

System

The order Petalichthyida contains only one family, the Macropetalichthyidae.

Some genera:

• Ellopetalichthys
• Epipetalichthys
• Lunaspis
• Macropetalichthys
• Notopetalichthys
• Quasipetalichthys
• Shearsbyaspis
• Wijeaspis