Ctenurella
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ctenurella Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
 | |
| fossil of C. gladbachensis | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | †Placodermi |
| Order: | †Ptyctodontida |
| Family: | †Ptyctodontidae |
| Genus: | †Ctenurella Ørvig, 1960 |
| Type species | |
| †Ctenurella gladbachensis Ørvig, 1960 | |
Ctenurella (from Greek: κτείς kteis, 'comb' and Greek: ουρά ourá, 'tail')[1] is an extinct genus of ptyctodont placoderm from the Late Devonian of Germany. The first fossils were found in the Strunde valley in the Paffrather Kalkmulde.
As with other ptyctodonts, the armor of Ctenurella was reduced to a few thin plates on the head and shoulder region. It was also relatively small for a placoderm, at just 13 centimetres (5 in) in length. Ctenurella had two dorsal fins and the rear of the body was relatively long and low. Most ptyctodonts are presumed to have fed on the ocean floor, but the well-developed fins of this genus indicate that it probably also swam in open waters.[2]
Ctenurella had a long, whip-like tail, large eyes, and robust upper and lower jaw tooth plates. Males also had hook-shaped sex organs, known as claspers. Since analogous features are also found in the unrelated living chimaeras, chimaeras and ptyctodonts are thought to be an example of convergent evolution.[2]
