Diplocercides

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Diplocercides
Temporal range: Frasnian to middle Famennian
Diplocercides heiligostockensis.jpg
Diplocercides heiligostockensis
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Sarcopterygii
Class: Actinistia
Family: Diplocercididae
Genus: Diplocercides
Stensiö, 1922
Species

Diplocercides is an extinct genus of marine coelacanth which lived during the Late Devonian period.

Contents

Taxonomy

The following species are known:

Indeterminate remains are known from the Frasnian of Iran. [1] Specimens from South Africa that were formerly assigned to this genus have since been described in their own genus, Serenichthys . Another alleged specimen from the Frasnian-aged Gogo Formation of Australia [3] was also later described in its own genus, Ngamugawi . [4] The species D. davisi Moy-Thomas, 1937, from the Mississippian of Ireland, which was formerly thought to be the only post-Devonian species, is now thought to represent a subadult Rhabdoderma , indicating that Diplocercides likely went extinct by the End-Devonian extinction. [2] [5]

Description

Fossils of the species D. kayseri are known to have three-dimensionally preserved cranial endocasts, making it one of the only known coelacanths aside from the extant Latimeria where the shape of the brain is known. These endocasts have been destroyed by serial grinding, but still survive as wax mounts. [3] [4] In 2010, three-dimensional specimens of tentative Diplocercides were described from the Gogo Formation of Western Australia, with these also containing preserved endocasts; these were later described in their own genus, Ngamugawi . [3] [4] [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Placoderm</span> Extinct Class of Fishes

Placoderms are vertebrate animals of the class Placodermi, an extinct group of prehistoric fish known from Paleozoic fossils during the Silurian and the Devonian periods. While their endoskeletons are mainly cartilaginous, their head and thorax were covered by articulated armoured plates, and the rest of the body was scaled or naked depending on the species.

<i>Dunkleosteus</i> Genus of extinct fishes

Dunkleosteus is an extinct genus of large arthrodire ("jointed-neck") fish that existed during the Late Devonian period, about 382–358 million years ago. It was a pelagic fish inhabiting open waters, and one of the first apex predators of any ecosystem.

<i>Ctenurella</i> Extinct genus of fishes

Ctenurella is an extinct genus of ptyctodont placoderm from the Late Devonian of Germany. The first fossils were found in the Strunde valley in the Paffrather Kalkmulde.

<i>Bothriolepis</i> Diverse genus of placoderm fishes of the Devonian

Bothriolepis was a widespread, abundant and diverse genus of antiarch placoderms that lived during the Middle to Late Devonian period of the Paleozoic Era. Historically, Bothriolepis resided in an array of paleo-environments spread across every paleocontinent, including near shore marine and freshwater settings. Most species of Bothriolepis were characterized as relatively small, benthic, freshwater detritivores, averaging around 30 centimetres (12 in) in length. However, the largest species, B. rex, had an estimated bodylength of 170 centimetres (67 in). Although expansive with over 60 species found worldwide, comparatively Bothriolepis is not unusually more diverse than most modern bottom dwelling species around today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gogo Formation</span> Lagerstätte formation in the Kimberley, Western Australia

The Gogo Formation in the Kimberley region of Western Australia is a Lagerstätte that exhibits exceptional preservation of a Devonian reef community. The formation is named after Gogo Station, a cattle station where outcrops appear and fossils are often collected from, as is nearby Fossil Downs Station.

<i>Holonema</i> Extinct genus of fishes

Holonema is an extinct genus of relatively large, barrel-shaped arthrodire placoderms that were found in oceans throughout the world from the Mid to Late Devonian, when the last species perished in the Frasnian-Fammian extinction event. Most species of the genus are known from fragments of their armor, but the Gogo Reef species, H. westolli, is known from whole, articulated specimens.

Chagrinia is an extinct genus of prehistoric marine coelacanth which lived during the Late Devonian period.

<i>Chirodipterus</i> Extinct genus of fishes

Chirodipterus is an extinct genus of marine lungfish which lived during the Devonian period. Fossils have been found worldwide, including Germany, China, eastern & western Australia, and the United States (Michigan). However, it has been suggested that the genus as currently defined is polyphyletic, in which case only the German type species would belong to the genus.

<i>Eastmanosteus</i> Extinct genus of placoderm fish

Eastmanosteus is a fossil genus of dunkleosteid placoderms. It was closely related to the giant Dunkleosteus, but differed from that genus in size, in possessing a distinctive tuberculated bone ornament, a differently shaped nuchal plate and a more zig-zagging course of the sutures of the skull roof.

<i>Incisoscutum</i> Genus of extinct placoderms

Incisoscutum is an extinct genus of arthrodire placoderm from the Early Frasnian Gogo Reef, from Late Devonian Australia. The genus contains two species I. ritchiei, named after Alex Ritchie, a palaeoichthyologist and senior fellow of the Australian Museum, and I. sarahae, named after Sarah Long, daughter of its discoverer and describer, John A. Long.

Gogodipterus is an extinct genus of prehistoric marine lungfish in the family Chirodipteridae. It contains a single species, G. paddyensis, known from the Late Devonian Gogo Formation of Western Australia. It was formerly placed in Chirodipterus.

Rhinodipterus is an extinct genus of prehistoric dipnoan sarcopterygians or lobe-finned fish, that lived in the Devonian Period, between 416 and 359 million years ago. It is believed to have inhabited shallow, salt-water reefs, and is one of the earliest known examples of marine lungfish. Research based on an exceptionally well-preserved specimen from the Gogo Formation of Australia has shown that Rhinodipterus has cranial ribs attached to its braincase and was probably adapted for air-breathing to some degree as living lungfish are. This could be the only case known for a marine lungfish with air-breathing adaptations.

<i>Mcnamaraspis</i> Extinct genus of fishes

Mcnamaraspis is an extinct monospecific genus of arthrodire placoderm that inhabited the ancient reef system of north Western Australia during the Frasnian epoch of the Late Devonian period. The type specimen was found and described by John A. Long from the Gogo Formation near Fitzroy Crossing. This fossil fish showed new anatomical features in arthrodires, like the well-preserved annular (ring-shaped) cartilages of the snout, previously inferred to be present by Erik Stensiö of Sweden. It is occasionally referred to as "The Gogo Fish" after the locale the holotype was excavated from.

Austroptyctodus gardineri is a small ptyctodontid placoderm fish from the Upper Devonian Gogo Formation of Western Australia. First described by Miles & Young (1977) as a new species of the German genus Ctenurella. Long (1997) redescribed the German material and found major differences in the skull roof pattern so assigned it to a new genus, Austroptyctodus. This genus lacks spinal plates and has Ptyctodus-like toothplates.

This list of fossil fishes described in 2015 is a list of new taxa of jawless vertebrates, placoderms, acanthodians, fossil cartilaginous fishes, bony fishes and other fishes of every kind that have been described during the year 2015, as well as other significant discoveries and events related to paleontology of fishes that occurred in the year 2015. The list only includes taxa at the level of genus or species.

<i>Serenichthys</i> Genus of coelacanth fish

Serenichthys kowiensis is a fossil species of coelacanth described in 2015 from near Grahamstown in South Africa.

<i>Diplacanthus</i> Extinct genus of Devonian spiny sharks

Diplacanthus is an extinct genus of Mid to Late Devonian fish in the class Acanthodii, known as spiny sharks.

<i>Kimbryanodus</i> Extinct genus of fish

Kimbryanodus is a genus of extinct ptyctodontid placoderm fish from the Frasnian of Australia.These placoderms can be told apart from others due to the large eyes, crushing tooth plates, long bodies, reduced armor, and a superficial resemblance to holocephalid fish. The group is so far the only Placoderms known with sexually dimorphic features. The fossils occur as small three dimensional isolated plates. Because of these new specimens the Ptyctodontid grouping got a taxonomic classification, it found that the genus Rhamphodopsis to be the most basal taxa. They are divided by having the more basal taxa having a median dorsal spine, a simple spinal plate, and a simple V-shaped overlap of the anterior lateral and the anterior dorsolateral plates.

Compagopiscis is an extinct genus of placoderm known from the Gogo Formation. It lived in the Upper Devonian of Western Australia. The genus is monotypic, with its only species being Compagopiscis croucheri.

Torosteus is an extinct genus of arthrodire placoderm from the Early Frasnian stage of the Late Devonian period. Fossils are found in the Kimberley region of Australia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Forey, Peter L.; Ahlberg, Per E.; Lukševičs, Ervins; Zupiņš, Ivars (2000). "A New Coelacanth from the Middle Devonian of Latvia". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 20 (2): 243–252. ISSN   0272-4634.
  2. 1 2 Szrek, Piotr (2007-12-10). "Coelacanths (Actinistia, Sarcopterygii) from the Famennian (Upper Devonian) of the Holy Cross Mountains, Poland". Acta Geologica Polonica. 57 (4): 403–413.
  3. 1 2 3 Long, John A.; Trinajstic, Kate (2010-04-01). "The Late Devonian Gogo Formation Lägerstatte of Western Australia: Exceptional Early Vertebrate Preservation and Diversity". Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences. 38 (1): 255–279. doi:10.1146/annurev-earth-040809-152416. ISSN   0084-6597.
  4. 1 2 3 Clement, Alice M.; Cloutier, Richard; Lee, Michael S. Y.; King, Benedict; Vanhaesebroucke, Olivia; Bradshaw, Corey J. A.; Dutel, Hugo; Trinajstic, Kate; Long, John A. (2024-09-12). "A Late Devonian coelacanth reconfigures actinistian phylogeny, disparity, and evolutionary dynamics". Nature Communications. 15 (1): 7529. doi:10.1038/s41467-024-51238-4. ISSN   2041-1723.
  5. Gess, Robert W.; Coates, Michael I. (2015). "Fossil juvenile coelacanths from the Devonian of South Africa shed light on the order of character acquisition in actinistians: Fossil Coelacanths from the South African Devonian". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 175 (2): 360–383. doi:10.1111/zoj.12276.
  6. Clement, Alice; King, Benedict; Trinajstic, Kate; Cloutier, Richard; Long, John (2017). "An exceptional 3D coelacanth (Osteichthyes: Sarcopterygyii) from the Devonian of Australia and interpretation of fossil cranial endocasts: 14th International Symposium on Early and Lower Vertebrates". 14th International Symposium on Early and Lower Vertebrates, Chęciny, Poland. doi:10.5167/uzh-138408.

Bibliography