Fallacosteus Explained

Fallacosteus is an extinct monospecific genus of arthrodire placoderm from the Early Frasnian stage of the Late Devonian period, found at the Gogo Formation of Kimberley, Western Australia. As with almost all other camuropiscids, F. turneri had an elongated snout that may have enhanced its hydrodynamic streamlining.^{[1] [2]}

Etymology

The generic name translates as "deceptive bone," in reference to its extreme similarity to Camuropiscis. The specific name turneri honors Sue Turner.^[1]

Phylogeny

Fallacosteus is a member of the family Camuropiscidae under the superfamily Incisoscutoidea, which belongs to the clade Coccosteomorphi, one of the two major clades within Eubrachythoraci.^{[3] [4]} The cladogram below shows the phylogeny of Fallacosteus:^[4]

Notes and References

1. Long . J.A. . Two new arthrodires (placoderm fishes) from the Upper Devonian Gogo Formation, Western Australia . . 28 . 1 . 51-63 . 1990 .
2. Book: Long . John A. . The Rise of Fishes: 500 Million Years of Evolution . . 1996 . 0-8018-5438-5 .
3. You-An Zhu . Min Zhu . A redescription of Kiangyousteus yohii (Arthrodira: Eubrachythoraci) from the Middle Devonian of China, with remarks on the systematics of the Eubrachythoraci . . 169 . 4 . 798-819 . 2013 . 10.1111/zoj12089 . free .
4. 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 . . 176 . 4 . 806–834 . 10.1111/zoj.12356. 0024-4082 . free .