Austroptyctodus Temporal range: Late
Frasnian
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | † Placodermi |
Order: | † Ptyctodontida |
Family: | † Ptyctodontidae |
Genus: | †
Austroptyctodus Long, 1997 |
Species: | †A. gardineri
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Binomial name | |
†Austroptyctodus gardineri Long, 1997
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Synonyms | |
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Austroptyctodus gardineri is a small ptyctodontid placoderm fish from the Upper Devonian Gogo Formation of Western Australia. First described by Miles & Young (1977) [1] as a new species of the German genus Ctenurella. Long (1997) [2] redescribed the German material and found major differences in the skull roof pattern so assigned it to a new genus, Austroptyctodus. This genus lacks spinal plates and has Ptyctodus-like toothplates.
The most significant discovery about Austroptyctodus is that one specimen depicts a female pregnant with 3 unborn embryos inside her, showing that like Materpiscis, also from Gogo, this genus was a live bearer that reproduced through internal fertilization. [3]
Austroptyctodus fossil individuals have ostracods recovered in the abdominal region. These ostracods were related to nocturnal ones, suggesting it hunted at night. [4]