''Kimbryanodus'' is a genus of extinct
ptyctodontid
The ptyctodontids ("folded-teeth") are placoderms of the order Ptyctodontida, containing the family Ptyctodontidae. With their big heads, big eyes, reduced armor and long bodies, the ptyctodontids bore a superficial resemblance to modern day ch ...
placoderm fish
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...
from the
Frasnian
The Frasnian is one of two faunal stages in the Late Devonian Period. It lasted from million years ago to million years ago. It was preceded by the Givetian Stage and followed by the Famennian Stage.
Major reef-building was under way during th ...
of
Australia.
These placoderms can be told apart from others due to the large eyes, crushing
tooth plates, long bodies, reduced armor, and a superficial resemblance to
holocephalid fish. The group is so far the only Placoderms known with
sexually dimorphic
Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...
features.
The fossils occur as small three dimensional isolated plates.
Because of these new specimens the Ptyctodontid grouping got a taxonomic classification, it found that the genus ''
Rhamphodopsis'' to be the most
basal taxa
In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...
.
They are divided by having the more basal taxa having a median dorsal spine, a simple spinal plate, and a simple V-shaped overlap of the anterior lateral and the anterior dorsolateral plates.
References
{{taxonbar, from =Q110205006
Ptyctodontids