Doryaspis
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| Doryaspis Fossil range: Early Devonian |
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Doryaspis ("Dart Shield") (also known by its synonym, "Lyktaspis") is an extinct genus of primitive jawless fish that lived in the Devonian epoch.
Doryaspis was a heavily armored, flat creature with a flexible tail. It had a long, horn-like spine on its snout (the rostrum) with its edges trimmed with smaller spines, vaguely similar in appearance to a sawfish's snout. Also, Doryaspis had long, wing-like protrusions of its armor near the base of the tail. These protrusions probably allowed Doryaspis to glide through the water. Because of this it is presumed to have been an active swimmer, feeding on plankton.
[edit] References
- Long, John A. The Rise of Fishes: 500 Million Years of Evolution, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996. ISBN 0-8018-5438-5
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