Pteraspididae

Pteraspididae
Temporal range: Early Devonian
Artist's restoration of Pteraspis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Pteraspidomorphi
Subclass: Heterostraci
Order: Pteraspidiformes
Suborder: Pteraspidoidei
Family: Pteraspididae
Claypole, 1885
Type genus
Pteraspis
Kner & Woodward, 1900
Genera

See text

Synonyms

Pteraspidae (paraphyletic)

Pteraspididae is an extinct family of heterostracan vertebrates. It is an Early Devonian-aged family that contains the stereotypical, torpedo-shaped pteraspidids, such as the type genus, Pteraspis, and its close relatives Errivaspis and Rhinopteraspis, that are popularly thought to have actively swam about in the water column. The elongated rostral plate is thought to help with their hydrodynamic ability. Various genera are found in various marine and estuarine strata of Early Devonian Europe and North America.

Genera

References

    External links

    This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, April 30, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.