''Asterodermus'' (from el, ἀστήρ , 'star' and el, δέρμα , 'skin') is an extinct genus of
guitarfish
The guitarfish, also referred to as shovelnose rays, are a family, Rhinobatidae, of rays. The guitarfish are known for an elongated body with a flattened head and trunk and small, ray-like wings. The combined range of the various species is tro ...
from the Jurassic Period. A single species, ''A. platypterus'', is described. It is known mainly from the early
Tithonian
In the geological timescale, the Tithonian is the latest age of the Late Jurassic Epoch and the uppermost stage of the Upper Jurassic Series. It spans the time between 152.1 ± 4 Ma and 145.0 ± 4 Ma (million years ago). It is preceded by t ...
of
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
, including the famous
Lagerstätte
A Lagerstätte (, from ''Lager'' 'storage, lair' '' Stätte'' 'place'; plural ''Lagerstätten'') is a sedimentary deposit that exhibits extraordinary fossils with exceptional preservation—sometimes including preserved soft tissues. These for ...
site of
Solnhofen
Solnhofen is a municipality in the district of Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen in the region of Middle Franconia in the ' of Bavaria in Germany. It is in the Altmühl valley.
The local area is famous in geology and palaeontology for Solnhofen limesto ...
. Additionally, ''Asterodermus'' scales have been found among articulated skeletons of neoselachians from the Tithonian of southern Germany.
[Thies, D. (1995). Placoid scales (Chondrichthyes: Elasmobranchii) from the Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) of northern Germany. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 15(3), 463-481. doi:10.1080/02724634.1995.10011242]
References
Rhinobatidae
Prehistoric cartilaginous fish genera
Taxa named by Louis Agassiz
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