Asterolepidae, Pterichthyodes sp.

GRI #609

Pterichthyodes was an armored fish, or placoderm that grew to about 30 cm in length (Frickhinger, 1995). Its head and the front part of its body were heavily armored with bony plates, while the tail end was covered with scales. Its eyes were on top of the body, and the underside was flattened, indicating it was a bottom feeder. It had grinding plates rather than teeth, and was probably a bottom-dwelling scavanger that fed on decaying material. It had wing-like appendages that might have been used to bury itself in the sediment (Benton, 2005), and most likely inhabited the fresh waters of shallow lakes. Pterichthyodes has been found in Lower to Middle Devonian layers in Europe and Australia (Frickhinger, 1995). This specimen was found in Scotland.

References:

Benton, M.J. (2005) Vertebrate Palaeontology. 3rd edn. Malden, MA: Blackwell. p. 58.

Frickhinger, K.A. (1995) Fossil Atlas, Fishes Karl Albert Frickhinger. transl. by R. P. S. Jefferies. Blacksburg, VA: Mergus, Publ. for Natural History and Pet Books Baensch Tetra Press. p. 144.