Dicksonosteus

Dicksonosteus Temporal range: Early Devonian
D. arctirus fossil
Artist's reconstruction of D. arctirus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	†Placodermi
Order:	†Arthrodira
Family:	†Phlyctaeniidae
Genus:	†Dicksonosteus Goujet, 1975
Type species
†Dicksonosteus arctirus Goujet, 1975

Dicksonosteus is an extinct genus of basal arthrodire, placoderm fish, which lived during the Early Devonian period of Spitsbergen, Norway. Dicksonosteus was once considered an actinolepid, but is now grouped within the family Phlyctaeniidae.^[1]

Description[]

Dicksonosteus is considered basal to the arthrodires, the most successful and widespread group of placoderms during the Devonian period notable for the movable joint between armor surrounding their heads and bodies. Its body is wide and flat, and unlike the more robust-jawed arthrodires that would come after it, such as Dunkleosteus and Coccosteus, its jaws were relatively feeble, suggesting the lifestyle of a benthic fish that subsisted primarily on smaller, softer-bodied animals. Exceptionally preserved specimens of Dicksonosteus from Spitsbergen, Norway display details of its braincase and internal anatomy, the details of which have been described.^How?

References[]

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