Xiushanosteus mirabilis

Xiushanosteus mirabilis

A small dorsoventrally compressedplacoderm-grade stem gnathostome

Age

Llandovery, Silurian, 436 million years ago

Distribution

Xiushan, Chongqing, China

Habitat

The edge of Silurian Yantze Plate; the junction of the fresh water and sea

Taxonomy

Placoderm

Body size

Approximately 30 mm

Trivia

Xiushanosteus mirabilis combines characters from major placoderm subgroups and foreshadows the transformation of the skull roof pattern from the placoderm to the osteichthyan condition