Turrisaspis elektor

Taxonomy

Placoderm

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Placodermi
Order: Arthrodira
Family: Groenlandaspididae
Genus: Turrisaspis
Species: T. elektor
Author Citation Daeschler et al Records of the Australian Museum (2003) Vol. 55: 45–60. ISSN 0067-1975

Geological Time Scale

Eon: Phanerozoic
Era: Paleozoic
Period: Devonian
Sub Period: None
Epoch: Late
International Age: Famennian

Stratigraphy

Catskill Formation

Provenance

Collector: Paul Bourdon
Date Collected: 07/01/2018
Acquired by: Field Collection

Dimensions

Length: 7 cm
Width: 4 cm

Location

Red Hill
Clinton
Pennsylvania
United States

• arthrodire
• catskill fm
• famennian
• late devonian
• pennsyvania
• placoderm
• turrisaspis elektor

Comments

Very common placoderm at Red Hill site, but rarely articulated.

 

Diagnosis. A small groenlandaspidid with a short head shield and tall and narrow dorsal trunk elements. The head shield is almost as wide as long (average W/L equals 0.96). The pineal is divided into two distinct plates in every specimen and the postmarginal makes contact with the

postorbital plate, excluding the marginal plate from the lateral margin of the head shield. A continuation of the supraorbital sensory line reaches the caudal margin of the paranuchal plate. The PDL has an average H/L ratio of 2.42.

The posterodorsal projection of the PDL is short and angled sharply upward so that the overlap zone for the MD does not reach the caudal margin of the element. The height of the symphysial area on the visceral surface of the PDL is 40% of the total height of the element. The MD is also high and narrow and approximately equal in height to the PDL.  The MD has numerous coarse serrations along the caudal margin and tubercles on the lateral surfaces that form rows parallel to the ventral margin.

 

 

ADL, anterior dorsolateral plate; AL, anterior lateral plate;

AMV, anterior median ventral plate; APi, anterior pineal

plate; AVL, anterior ventrolateral plate; Ce, central plate;

IL, interolateral plate; M, marginal plate; MD, median 

dorsal plate; Nu, nuchal plate; PDL, posterior dorsolateral

plate; Pi, pineal plate; PL, posterior lateral plate; PM,

postmarginal plate; PMV, posterior median ventral plate;

PNu, paranuchal plate; PPi, posterior pineal plate; PrO,

preorbital plate; Psp, parasphenoid; PtO, postorbital plate;

PVL, posterior ventrolateral plate; R, rostral plate; Sgn,

supragnathal; SP, spinal plate.

 

 

EDWARD B. DAESCHLER,1* ANNA C. FRUMES2 AND C. FREDERICK MULLISON1   Records of the Australian Museum (2003) Vol. 55: 45–60. ISSN 0067-1975