Tujiaaspis vividus

Tujiaaspis vividus

The first fish with paired fins

Age

Llandovery, Silurian, 436 million years ago

Distribution 

Xiushan, Chongqing, China

Taxonomy 

Galeaspida, Eugaleaspidiformes

Body size 

Small-sized jawless fish up to 70 mm in length

Ecology

Feeding in the bottom of the water

Trivia 

The discovery of Tujiaaspis reveals the postcranial skeletal anatomy of galeaspids for the first time. The discovery of a pair of ventrolateral fins that extend continuously from a branchial to a caudal position sheds light on the origin of vertebrate paired appendages.