Biology:Watsonosteus

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Watsonosteus
Temporal range: Middle Devonian: Late Givetian, 387.7–382.7 Ma
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Watsonosteus fossil specimen
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: †Placodermi
Order: †Arthrodira
Suborder: †Brachythoraci
Family: †Coccosteidae
Genus: †Watsonosteus
Miles & Westoll, 1963
Species
  • Watsonosteus fletti (Watson, 1932) (type)
Synonyms
  • Coccosteus fletti Watson, 1932

Watsonosteus is an extinct genus of coccosteid arthrodire placoderm from the Late Givetian stage of the Middle Devonian period. Fossils are found in the Orkney Islands, Scotland. It was a small placoderm with a total body length of 57 cm (22 in),[1] with the largest individuals reaching lengths of 1 m (39 in).[2] It is one of the few arthrodires for which complete body fossils are known.

Phylogeny

Watsonosteus is a member of the family Coccosteidae, which belongs to the clade Coccosteomorphi, one of the two major clades within Eubrachythoraci. The cladogram below shows the phylogeny of Watsonosteus:[3]

Eubrachythoraci 
 Coccosteomorphi
Coccosteoidea
Coccosteidae
 
 

Millerosteus minor

 
 

Coccosteus cuspidatus

 
 
 
 

Dickosteus threiplandi

 
 

Watsonosteus fletti

 
 

Protitanichthys rockportensis

 
 
 
Panxiosteidae
 

Plourdosteus canadensis

 
 

Panxiosteus ocullus

 
 

Janiosteus timanicus

 
 
 
Incisoscutoidea
 

Harrytoombsia elegans

 
 
 

Torosteus tuberculatus

 
 

Torosteus pulchellus

 
 
 
 

Mcnamaraspis kaprios

 
 
 

Compagopiscis croucheri

 
 

Trematosteus fontanellus

 
Camuropiscidae
 
 

Incisoscutum ritchiei

 
 

Incisoscutum sarahae

 
 
 
 

Rolfosteus canningensis

 
 
 

Tubonasus lennardensis

 
 
 

Fallacosteus turneri

 
 
 

Camuropiscis laidlawi

 
 

Latocamurus coulthardi

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Pachyosteomorphi

 
 

References

  1. ↑ Engelman, Russell K. (2023). "A Devonian Fish Tale: A New Method of Body Length Estimation Suggests Much Smaller Sizes for Dunkleosteus terrelli (Placodermi: Arthrodira)". Diversity 15 (3): 318. doi:10.3390/d15030318. 
  2. ↑ Newman, Michael J.; Blaauwen, Jan; Burrow, Carole; Jones, Roger (January 2021). "Earliest vertebrate embryos in the fossil record (Middle Devonian, Givetian)". Palaeontology 64 (1): 21–30. doi:10.1111/pala.12511. Bibcode: 2021Palgy..64...21N. 
  3. ↑ Zhu, You-An; Zhu, Min; Wang, Jun-Qing (1 April 2016). "Redescription of Yinostius major (Arthrodira: Heterostiidae) from the Lower Devonian of China, and the interrelationships of Brachythoraci". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 176 (4): 806–834. doi:10.1111/zoj.12356. ISSN 0024-4082. 

Wikidata ☰ Q112327223 entry