Rolfosteus

Rolfosteus is an extinct monospecific genus of arthrodire placoderm from the Early Frasnian stage of the Late Devonian period, found at the Gogo Formation of Western Australia.[1]

Rolfosteus
Temporal range: Late Devonian: Frasnian,
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Placodermi
Order: Arthrodira
Suborder: Brachythoraci
Clade: Eubrachythoraci
Clade: Coccosteomorphi
Superfamily: Incisoscutoidea
Family: Camuropiscidae
Genus: Rolfosteus
Dennis and Miles, 1979
Species
  • Rolfosteus canningensis Dennis and Miles, 1979

Description

Rolfosteus had a skull reaching 11.5 centimetres (4.5 in),[1] with tough plating on the front of its body. Like other arthrodires, such as Coccosteus and the giant Dunkleosteus, it had sharp, bony plates on its mouth which formed a turtle-like beak for cutting prey to pieces. Rolfosteus's most unusual feature was its highly elongated rostrum (snout), which may have been used to enhance its sense of smell as well as increase its hydrodynamic streamlining, making it well adapted to be a pelagic pursuit predator. Its fast jaw movement and jaw morphology allowed it to effectively capture prey and swallow them whole.[2]

Phylogeny

Rolfosteus is a member of the family Camuropiscidae under the superfamily Incisoscutoidea, which belongs to the clade Coccosteomorphi, one of the two major clades within Eubrachythoraci.[3][4] The cladogram below shows the phylogeny of Rolfosteus:[4]

Eubrachythoraci 
 Coccosteomorphi
Coccosteoidea
Coccosteidae

Millerosteus minor

Coccosteus cuspidatus

Dickosteus threiplandi

Watsonosteus fletti

Protitanichthys rockportensis

Panxiosteidae

Plourdosteus canadensis

Panxiosteus ocullus

Janiosteus timanicus

Incisoscutoidea

Harrytoombsia elegans

Torosteus tuberculatus

Torosteus pulchellus

Mcnamaraspis kaprios

Compagopiscis croucheri

Trematosteus fontanellus

Camuropiscidae

Incisoscutum ritchiei

Incisoscutum sarahae

Rolfosteus canningensis

Tubonasus lennardensis

Fallacosteus turneri

Camuropiscis laidlawi

Latocamurus coulthardi

Pachyosteomorphi

References

Further reading

  • Long, John A. The Rise of Fishes: 500 Million Years of Evolution Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996. ISBN 0-8018-5438-5


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