Phymolepis Explained

Phymolepis is an extinct genus of yunnanolepidid placoderm from the Early Devonian of China. The type species, P. cuifengshanensis, was named by Zhang Goroui in 1978^{[1] [2]} and was re-evaluated in 2018,^[3] while a second species, P. guoruii, was named and described in 1996.^[4]

The holotype of P. cuifengshanensis is IVPP V4225.3, a nearly complete trunk shield, and it was found in the Xitun Formation, near Cuifengshan. The paratype is IVPP V4425.6, a posterior median dorsal plate, and several other specimens of varying completeness have also been referred to Phymolepis, with some specimens also being recovered from the Xishancun Formation.

Notes and References

1. Chang, K-J. (1978). Symposium on the Devonian System of South China: Early devonian antiarchs from Cuifengshan, Yunnan. Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, ed. Geological Press; Beijing: 1978; pp. 292–297.
2. Zhang, G. (1978). The antiarchs from the Early Devonian of Yunnan. Vertebrata PalAsiatica. 1978;16:147–186.
3. Yajing Wang . Min Zhu . 2018 . Redescription of Phymolepis cuifengshanensis (Antiarcha: Yunnanolepididae) using high-resolution computed tomography and new insights into anatomical details of the endocranium in antiarchs . PeerJ . 6 . e4808 . 10.7717/peerj.4808 . 29868260 . 5978403 . free .
4. Zhu . Min . 1996-01-01 . The phylogeny of the Antiarcha (Placodermi, Pisces), with the description of Early Devonian antiarchs from Qujing, Yunnan, China . Bull. Mus. Nat. Hist. Natur., Sér.