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Further Petalichthyid remains (Placoderm fishes, Early Devonian) from the Taemas-Wee Jasper region, New South Wales

Created 16/10/2025

Updated 16/10/2025

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New material referable to the order Petalichthyida (placodermi) is described from the Early Devonian limestones of the Taemas-Wee Jasper area, New South Wales. Shearsbyaspis oepiki gen. et sp. nov. is represented by two incomplete skulls, one including parts of the endocranium. It differs from other genera in having discrete rostral and pineal plates that completely separate the preorbitals of each side. It resembles Lunaspis in the size of the central plates, and Wijdeaspis in the shape of the anterior paranuchal plate. In the endocranium, a lateral preorbital space is identified, communicating posteriorly with the orbital cavity. In the orbit, the optic nerve foramen and eyestalk attachment area are described. Two foramina behind the optic nerve foramen, possibly for anterior and posterior branches of the oculomotor nerve, are not associated with a myodome. Isolated median dorsal, spinal, and ventral trunk-shield plates are assigned to Lunaspis sp.on the basis of ornament. The median dorsal plate carries a median ventral cavity near its posterior margin, a structure not previously described in petalichthyids. Three competing hypotheses of petalichthyid relationships are briefly discussed. It is suggested that the ventral cavity on the median dorsal is primitive for placoderms, and the position of the corresponding cavity in antiarchs, anterior to the transverse thickening, might be a derived condition.

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Title Further Petalichthyid remains (Placoderm fishes, Early Devonian) from the Taemas-Wee Jasper region, New South Wales
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/376f8486-35f6-44de-9266-cd348697ae22
Contact Point
Geoscience Australia Data
clientservices@ga.gov.au
Reference Period 20/04/2018
Geospatial Coverage
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
{
  "coordinates": [
    [
      [
        143.39,
        -35.42
      ],
      [
        149.18,
        -35.42
      ],
      [
        149.18,
        -34.77
      ],
      [
        143.39,
        -34.77
      ],
      [
        143.39,
        -35.42
      ]
    ]
  ],
  "type": "Polygon"
}
Data Portal Geoscience Australia

Data Source

This dataset was originally found on Geoscience Australia "Further Petalichthyid remains (Placoderm fishes, Early Devonian) from the Taemas-Wee Jasper region, New South Wales". Please visit the source to access the original metadata of the dataset:
https://ecat.ga.gov.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/csw/dataset/further-petalichthyid-remains-placoderm-fishes-early-devonian-from-the-taemas-wee-jasper-region