Kiangyousteus Explained

Kiangyousteus is an extinct monotypic genus of dunkleosteid from the Middle Devonian: Givetian aged Guanwu Formation in the Sichuan province of south-western China. The type species, Kiangyousteus yohii, was the first known arthrodire from Asia.[1]

Etymology

Kiangyousteus is named after Jiangyou (formerly ‘Kiangyou’) district of Sichuan Province, the location where the fossils were found in 1953 by Professor S. H. Yoh of Peking University.[1]

Phylogeny

Kiangyousteus belongs to the family Dunkleosteidae. The phylogeny of Kiangyousteus can be shown in the cladogram below:[1]

Alternatively, the subsequent 2016 Zhu et al. study using a larger morphological dataset recovered Panxiosteidae well outside of Dunkleosteoidea, leaving the status of Dunkleosteidae as a clade grouping separate from Dunkleosteoidea in doubt, as shown in the cladogram below:[2]

Notes and References

  1. 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 .
  2. 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 .