Osteolepididae, Osteolepis cf. panderi
GRI #549

This Osteolepis specimen from Scotland is possibly of the species panderi, though it is difficult to tell. There are a few ways to differentiate between Osteolepis panderi and Osteolepis macrolepidotus, the primary difference being they are found in different levels within Devonian horizons, and with different associated fauna (Newman, 2010).

Because Osteolepis panderi fossils are found only within a specific stratigraphic range, they can be useful markers to identify geological units. For example, O. panderi marks the base of the Rousay sequence in Orkney, Scotland (Michie et al., 2015).

Reference:

Michie, U.McL., Newman, M.J. and Den Blaauwen, J.L. (2015) The vertebrate biostratigraphy of the Rousay sequence in the Middle Devonian of Orkney, Scotland, Scottish Journal of Geology, 51(2), pp. 149–156. doi:10.1144/sjg2014-011.

Newman, M., (2010) Middle Devonian Fish from the Orcadian Basin of Scotland. International Palaeontological Congress 3 Pre-conference Field Trip, London, pp. 54-55.