Phlyctaeniidae is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

placoderm Placoderms (from Ancient Greek πλάξ 'plax'', ''plakos'''Plate (animal anatomy), plate' and δέρμα 'derma'''skin') are vertebrate animals of the class (biology), class Placodermi, an extinct group of prehistoric fish known from Pal ...

arthrodire Arthrodira (Greek for "jointed neck") is an Order (biology), order of extinct armored, jawed fishes of the class Placodermi that flourished in the Devonian period before their sudden extinction, surviving for about 50 million years and penetratin ...

fishes that lived during the

Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a period (geology), geologic period and system (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic era (geology), era during the Phanerozoic eon (geology), eon, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the preceding Silurian per ...

period, mainly in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

Classification

Order

Arthrodira Arthrodira (Greek for "jointed neck") is an order of extinct armored, jawed fishes of the class Placodermi that flourished in the Devonian period before their sudden extinction, surviving for about 50 million years and penetrating most marine eco ...

Woodward, 1891 *

Phlyctaenioidei Arthrodira (Greek for "jointed neck") is an order of extinct armored, jawed fishes of the class Placodermi that flourished in the Devonian period before their sudden extinction, surviving for about 50 million years and penetrating most marine eco ...

Miles, 1973 **

Brachythoraci Brachythoraci is an extinct suborder of arthrodire placoderms, armored fish most diverse during the Devonian. Phylogeny Arthrodira is divided into three main groups: the paraphyletic Actinolepida and Phlyctaenii, and then the monophyletic Brac ...

Gross, 1932 - (includes the well-known ''

Dunkleosteus ''Dunkleosteus'' is an extinct genus of large arthrodira, arthrodire ("jointed-neck") fish that existed during the Late Devonian period, about 382–358 million years ago. It was a pelagic fish inhabiting open waters, and one of the first verteb ...

'', ''

Dinichthys ''Dinichthys'' (from , 'terrible' and 'fish') is an extinct monospecific genus of large marine arthrodire placoderm from the Late Devonian (Famennian stage) measuring around long. Fossils were recovered from the Ohio Shale Formation along ...

'', etc.) ** Williamsaspididae White, 1952 **

Groenlandaspididae Arthrodira (Greek for "jointed neck") is an Order (biology), order of extinct armored, jawed fishes of the class Placodermi that flourished in the Devonian period before their sudden extinction, surviving for about 50 million years and penetratin ...

Obruchev, 1964 **

Arctolepididae Arthrodira (Greek for "jointed neck") is an order of extinct armored, jawed fishes of the class Placodermi that flourished in the Devonian period before their sudden extinction, surviving for about 50 million years and penetrating most marine eco ...

Heintz, 1937 ** Phlyctaeniidae Fowler, 1947 *** '' Aggeraspis'' Gross, 1962 *** ''

Arctaspis ''Arctaspis'' is an extinct genus of placoderm fish, which lived during the Devonian period in what is now Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Nort ...

'' Heintz, 1929 *** ''

Arctolepis ''Arctolepis'' is an extinct genus of placoderm arthrodire fish which lived during the Early Devonian period (408 – 307 million years ago). Fossils of ''Arctolepis'' have been found in what is now Norway and Michigan. Classification Within Art ...

''? Eastman, 1908 - (may instead belong to

) *** '' Barwickosteus'' Young & Long, 2014 *** ''

Cartieraspis ''Cartieraspis'' is an extinct genus of Phlyctaeniid placoderm fish which lived during the Middle Devonian period in North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemi ...

'' Pageau, 1969 *** '' Diadsomaspis'' Gross, 1937 *** ''

Dicksonosteus ''Dicksonosteus'' is an extinct genus of basal arthrodire placoderm fish which lived during the Early Devonian period of Spitsbergen, Norway. Classification Within Arthrodira, ''Dicksonosteus'' is considered a member of Phlyctaenii, a paraphyle ...

''? Goujet, 1975 - (may not belong to Phlyctaeniidae) *** ''

Elegantaspis ''Elegantaspis reticornis'' is an arthrodire placoderm fish, which lived during the Early Devonian period in Spitsbergen, Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian ...

'' Heintz, 1929 - (may instead belong to

trilobite Trilobites (; meaning "three-lobed entities") are extinction, extinct marine arthropods that form the class (biology), class Trilobita. One of the earliest groups of arthropods to appear in the fossil record, trilobites were among the most succ ...

genus '' Kazakhius'') *** ''

Gaspeaspis ''Gaspeaspis'' is an extinct genus of placoderm fish, which lived during the Middle Devonian period of North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North ...

'' Pageau, 1969 *** '' Grifftaylor'' Young & Long, 2014 *** '' Heintzosteus''? Goujet, 1984 - (may instead belong to

) *** ''

Heterogaspis ''Heterogaspis'' is an extinct genus of placoderm that lived during the Late Devonian period of Spitsbergen, Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in No ...

'' Strand, 1932 *** '' Huginaspis'' Heintz, 1929 *** ''

Kolpaspis ''Kolpaspis'' is an extinct genus of placoderm fish, which lived during the Middle Devonian period of North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North Am ...

'' Pageau, 1969 *** '' Kueichowlepis'' Pan & Wang, 1975 *** '' Lyhoalepis'' Janvier, Tông-Dzuy & Doàn Nhât, 1994 *** '' Neophlyctaenius'' White, 1969 *** ''

Pageauaspis ''Pageauaspis'' is an extinct placoderm fish, which lived during the Devonian period of North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bor ...

'' Denison, 1978 *** '' Phlyctaenius'' Traquair, 1890 *** '' Prosphymaspis'' Gross, 1937 *** '' Stipatosteus'' Plax & Newman, 2020

Phylogeny

Phlyctaeniidae's placement within

can be shown in the

cladogram A cladogram (from Greek language, Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an Phylogenetic tree, evolutionary tree because it does not s ...

below:

References

Placoderm families {{Placoderm-stub