Wuttagoonaspis is an extinct genus of primitive arthrodire placoderm fish from the Middle Devonian of Australia. The box-like skull is up to 18 centimeters in length, and the median dorsal plate averages in length about 10 centimeters. It contains two species: the type species Wuttagoonaspis fletcheri, described by Ritchie in 1973, and Wuttagoonaspis milligani, described by Young and Goujet in 2003.[1]

Wuttagoonaspis
Temporal range: Middle Devonian, 393–382 Ma
Wuttagoonaspis fletcheri
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Placodermi
Order: Arthrodira
Family: Wuttagoonaspidae
Genus: Wuttagoonaspis
Ritchie, 1973
Species
  • Wuttagoonaspis fletcheri Ritchie, 1973 (type)
  • Wuttagoonaspis milligani Young & Goujet, 2003
Wuttagoonaspis fletcheri head shield, cast of a specimen from Tambua, New South Wales, Australia.

Classification

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Wuttagoonaspis belongs to the family Wuttagoonaspidae, and is closely related to Yiminaspis. It is one of the more basal members of the order Arthrodira, as shown in the cladogram below:[2]

Eurycaraspis incilis

Lunaspis broilii

Arthrodira
Actinolepidoidei
Phlyctaeniina


References

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  1. ^ Dupret, Vincent (Mar 12, 2008). "A New Wuttagoonaspid (Placodermi, Arthrodira) from the Lower Devonian of Yunnan (South China): Origin, Dispersal, and Paleobiogeographic Significance". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 28: 12–20. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2008)28[12:anwpaf]2.0.co;2.
  2. ^ Dupret, V.; Zhu, M. I. N.; Wang, J. N. Q. (2009). "The morphology of Yujiangolepis liujingensis (Placodermi, Arthrodira) from the Pragian of Guangxi (south China) and its phylogenetic significance" (PDF). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 157: 70. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00519.x.