Ligulalepis Explained

Ligulalepis is an extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish.^[1] Ligulalepis was first described from isolated scales found in the Taemas-Wee jasper limestones of New South Wales (Early Devonian age) by Dr Hans-Peter Schultze (1968^[2]) and further material described by Burrow (1994).^[3] A nearly complete skull found in the same general location was described in Nature by Basden et al. (2000) claiming the genus was closely related to basal ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii).^[4] In 2015 Flinders University student Benedict King found a more complete new skull of this genus which was formally described by Clement et al. (2018), showing the fish to be on the stem of all osteichthyans.^[5]

See also

• Prehistoric fish
• List of prehistoric bony fish

Notes and References

1. Sepkoski . Jack . A compendium of fossil marine animal genera . Bulletins of American Paleontology . 364 . 560 . 2002 . 2009-02-27 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110723131237/http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=611&rank=class . 2011-07-23 .
2. Schultze . Hans-Peter . 1968 . Palæoniscoidea-Schuppen aus dem Unterdevon Australiens und Kanadas und aus dem Mitteldevon Spitzbergens . Bulletin of the British Museum . 16 . 343–368 .
3. Burrow . Carole J. . Form and function in scales of Ligulalepis toombsi Schultze, a palaeoniscoid from the Early Devonian of Australia . Records of the South Australian Museum . 27 . 2 . 1994 . 175–185 .
4. Basden . Alison M. . Young . Gavin C. . Coates . Michael I. . Ritchie . Alex . The most primitive osteichthyan braincase? . Nature . January 2000 . 403 . 6766 . 185–188 . 10.1038/35003183 . 10646601 . 2000Natur.403..185B . 4362712 .
5. Clement . Alice M . King . Benedict . Giles . Sam . Choo . Brian . Ahlberg . Per E . Young . Gavin C . Long . John A . Neurocranial anatomy of an enigmatic Early Devonian fish sheds light on early osteichthyan evolution . eLife . 29 May 2018 . 7 . 10.7554/eLife.34349 . 29807569 . 5973833 . free .