Cephalaspis
Sign in to saveCephalaspis (from , 'head' and , 'shield') is a possibly monotypic genus of extinct osteostracan agnathan vertebrate. It was a trout-sized detritivorous fish that lived in the early Devonian.
Article
8 sectionsContents
- Description
- Diet
- Classification
- Included species
- Species of ''Cephalaspis'' that have been reassigned
- Other miscellaneous species once assigned to ''Cephalaspis''
- References
- External links
Cephalaspis (from , 'head' and , 'shield') is a possibly monotypic genus of extinct osteostracan agnathan vertebrate. It was a trout-sized detritivorous fish that lived in the early Devonian.
==Description== Like its relatives, Cephalaspis was heavily armored, presumably to defend against predatory placoderms and eurypterids, as well as to serve as a source of calcium for metabolic functions in calcium-poor freshwater environments. It had sensory patches along the rim and center of its head shield, which were used to sense for worms and other burrowing organisms in the mud.