''Cyphaspis'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of small
trilobite
Trilobites (; meaning "three lobes") are extinct marine arthropods that form the class Trilobita. Trilobites form one of the earliest-known groups of arthropods. The first appearance of trilobites in the fossil record defines the base of the ...
that lived from the
Late Ordovician
The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years from the end of the Cambrian Period million years ago (Mya) to the start of the Silurian Period Mya.
...
to the
Late Devonian. Fossils have been found in marine strata in what is now
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
, Africa and
North America. Various species had a compact body, and a large, bulbous glabellum. Many species had long spines arranged similarly to closely related genera, such as ''
Otarian'', ''
Otarionella'', ''
Chamaeleoaspis'', and ''
Namuropyge''.
Species
The following species in the genus ''Cyphaspis'' have been described:
*''C. anticostiensis''
*''C. bellula''
*''C. bluhmi''
Van Viersen & Holland, 2016
*''C. boninoi''
Van Viersen & Holland, 2016
*''C. bowingensis''
*''C. buchbergeri''
Adrain & Chatterton, 1996
*''C. burmeisteri''
*''C. ceratophthalma''
Goldfuss, 1843 ( type)
*''C. ceratophthalmoides''
*''C. clintoni''
*''C. coelebs''
*''C. convexa''
*''C. craspedota''
*''C. dereimsi''
*''C. diadema''
*''C. eximia''
Van Viersen & Holland, 2016
*''C. foumzguidensis''
Van Viersen & Holland, 2016
*''C. gaultieri''
*''C. globosus''
[
*''C. heisingi'' Van Viersen & Holland, 2016][
*''C. mactavishi'' Adrain & Chatterton, 1996][
*''C. maharchensis'' Van Viersen & Holland, 2016][
*''C. partim''
*''C. parvula''
*''C. planifrons''
*''C. punctillosa''
*''C. raripustulosus''
*''C. sibirica'' Schmidt, 1886
*''C. smeenki'' Van Viersen & Holland, 2016]
Distribution
Fossils of ''Cyphaspis'' have been found in:[''Cyphaspis'']
at Fossilworks.org
;Devonian
Colombia (Floresta Formation
The Floresta Formation ( es, Formación Floresta, Df) is a geological formation of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes. The sequence of siltstones, shales, coquinas and sandstone beds dates to the Devonia ...
, Altiplano Cundiboyacense
The Altiplano Cundiboyacense () is a high plateau located in the Eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes covering parts of the departments of Cundinamarca and Boyacá. The altiplano corresponds to the ancient territory of the Muisca. The Alt ...
), the Czech Republic, Morocco, United States (Alaska, Iowa, Oklahoma), and Uzbekistan
;Silurian
Canada (Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ontario), the United Kingdom, and the United States (Indiana, New York, Tennessee)
;Ordovician
Sweden, and the United States (Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri)
References
Further reading
* Richard Fortey
Richard Alan Fortey FRS FRSL (born 15 February 1946 in London) is a British palaeontologist, natural historian, writer and television presenter, who served as president of the Geological Society of London for its bicentennial year of 2007.
Ea ...
, ''Trilobite: Eyewitness to Evolution''
External links
''Cyphasis on Trilobites.info''
Proetida genera
Ordovician trilobites
Silurian trilobites
Devonian trilobites
Trilobites of Africa
Trilobites of Asia
Trilobites of Europe
Paleozoic Europe
Trilobites of North America
Silurian Canada
Paleozoic United States
Devonian trilobites of South America
Devonian Colombia
Fossils of Colombia
Late Ordovician first appearances
Late Devonian animals
Late Devonian genus extinctions
Fossil taxa described in 1843
Paleozoic life of Ontario
Floresta Formation
Paleozoic life of the Northwest Territories
Paleozoic life of Nunavut
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