New arthrodires (placoderm fishes) from the Aztec Siltstone (late Middle Devonian) of southern Victoria Land, Antarctica

A small collection of arthrodire remains is described from the Devonian Aztec Siltstone of southern Victoria Land, Antarctica. Barwickosteus antarcticus, gen. et sp. nov., is a small phlyctaeniid arthrodire probably closely related to Barrydalaspis from the Bokkeveld Group of South Africa. Grifftayl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Australian Journal of Zoology
Main Authors: Young, Gavin, Long, John
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: CSIRO Publishing
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1885/70824
https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO13070
https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/70824/5/ZO13070u3488905pub2430.pdf.jpg
https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/70824/7/01_Young_New_arthrodires_%28placoderm_2014.pdf.jpg
Description
Summary:A small collection of arthrodire remains is described from the Devonian Aztec Siltstone of southern Victoria Land, Antarctica. Barwickosteus antarcticus, gen. et sp. nov., is a small phlyctaeniid arthrodire probably closely related to Barrydalaspis from the Bokkeveld Group of South Africa. Grifftaylor antarcticus, gen. et sp. nov., is a generalised phlyctaeniid resembling Phlyctaenius and Neophlyctaenius. New specimens of Boomeraspis show that it had a high-spired trunk-armour with a median dorsal plate of similar proportions to Tiaraspis, Mithakaspis, Turrisaspis or Africanaspis. Other fragmentary median dorsal plates are provisionally referred to Turrisaspis and Mulgaspis. With these new taxa the vertebrate assemblage from the Aztec Siltstone comprises at least 37 genera and 50 species, making it one of the most diverse of Middle-Late Devonian age.