Sanchaspis

Sanchaspis megalorostrata Temporal range: Pragian, 410.8–407.6  Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Infraphylum:	Agnatha
Class:	† Galeaspida
Order:	† Huananaspidiformes
Family:	† Sanchaspididae
Genus:	† Sanchaspis Pan et Wang, 1981
Species:	†S. megalorostrata
Binomial name
†Sanchaspis megalorostrata Pan et Wang, 1981

Sanchaspis is an extinct genus of galeaspid agnathous fish. It lived during the Pragian period of the Lower Devonian, in what today is China, in the Xujiachong Formation in Yunnan. It only has one species, Sanchaspis megalorostrata. ^[1]

Description

Sanchaspis had an unusually shaped head shield that ended in a bulbous structure, along with two flattened, backward-curving lateral extensions. ^[1] Like all galeaspids, Sanchaspis had an opening in the dorsal surface of the head shield; in Sanchaspis, this was transversely elongated and rather thin. It is thought to have been a bottom-dweller thanks to its ventral mouth and dorsal opening. ^[2]

Classification

Sanchaspis gives its name to the entire Sanchaspididae, a family inside the Huananaspidiformes order of galeaspids. It was described in 1981. ^[1]

References

1. Zhu, Min; Gai, Zhikun (April 2007). "Phylogenetic relationships of galeaspids (Agnatha)". Frontiers of Biology in China. 2 (1): 151–169. doi:10.1007/s11515-007-0022-6. Archived from the original on 2024-12-07. Retrieved 2025-08-31– via ResearchGate.
2. Jiang, Pan; Shitao, Wang (1981). "New discoveries of polybranchiaspids from Yunnan Province". Vertebrata PalAsiatica . 19 (2): 113–121.