Tolypelepidida

Tolypelepidida
Temporal range: Silurian - Early Devonian
The type species, Tolypelepis undulata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Infraphylum: Agnatha
Class: †Pteraspidomorphi
Subclass: †Heterostraci
Order: †Tolypelepidida
Denison 1964
Family: †Tolypelepididae
Kiær 1932
Genera
Synonyms
  • Tolypelepidiformes

Tolypelepidida is an extinct order of heterostracan vertebrates. These armored jawless fish superficially resemble their relatives, the cyathaspids, though, researchers place the tolypelepids as a sister group to the cyathaspids and the pteraspidids (and both groups' daughter taxa).[1] A recent study by Lundgren and Blom in 2013 implies that the order is paraphyletic, with the type genus, Tolypelepis, being the sister taxon of Cyathaspidiformes.[2] The typical tolypelepid had a carapace formed from dorsal and ventral plates, and a scaly tail.

Athenaegis chattertoni cast, middle Silurian, Road River Formation, Mackenzie Mountains, Northwest Territories (Canada).
Athenaegis chattertoni reconstruction. At the Museo delle Scienze (MUSE).
  1. ^ Janvier, Philippe (1997) Heterostraci The Tree of Life Web Project.
  2. ^ Lundgren, Mette, and Henning Blom. "Phylogenetic relationships of the cyathaspidids (Heterostraci)." GFF 135.1 (2013): 74-84.