''Tityosteus'' is an extinct genus of

homostiid Homostiidae is a family of flattened arthrodire placoderms from the Early to Middle Devonian. Fossils appear in various strata in Europe, Russia, Morocco, Australia, Canada and Greenland. Many homostiids have " toothless" jaws, and large sizes ...

arthrodire from the Early Emsian of the Early Devonian, with fossils known from Germany, the Ibero-Armorican Trough, and southern Siberia.

Description

''Tityosteus'' has only an 11 cm right marginal plate known, and margin ends and parts, in addition to the central plate overlap area being broken. According to "Tityosteus, A MARINE FISH (ARTHRODIRA, HOMOSTIIDAE) FROM THE EMSIAN OF ARAGÓN, SPAIN, AND ITS DISTRIBUTION", given Tityosteus's distribution, and Carolowilhelma (a pelagic arthrodire), being from similar facies as Tityosteus ( Eifelian of Aragón, Spain), it may have been pelagic, and able to cross open waters.

Diet

While the inferognathals of ''Tityosteus'' have not been found, they could be either "toothless", like ''

Homosteus ''Homosteus'' is a genus of flattened arthrodire placoderm from the Middle Devonian. Fossils are found primarily in Eifelian-epoch aged strata of Europe, Canada, Greenland, and Estonia. All of the species had comparatively large, flattened he ...

'', which has been suggested to be

planktivorous A planktivore is an aquatic organism that feeds on planktonic food, including zooplankton and phytoplankton. Planktivorous organisms encompass a range of some of the planet's smallest to largest multicellular animals in both the present day and ...

, or possessing fine denticles, like ''

Antineosteus ''Antineosteus'' is an extinct genus of homostiid arthrodire from the Emsian, Early Devonian Kess-Kess Mounds, in the eastern Anti-Atlas Mountains, Morocco, and the Barrandian area of the Czech Republic. Description ''Antineosteus lehmani'' i ...

''. It has been suggested that ''Tityosteus'' probably was similar to the whale shark, in size, and habitat.

Phylogeny

''Tityosteus'' is part of the clade

Migmatocephala Migmatocephala is a clade of placoderm fish within the suborder Brachythoraci. Migmatocephala includes the homostiids ''Taemasosteus'', ''Tityosteus'', ''Antineosteus'', ''Atlantidosteus'', and ''Homosteus ''Homosteus'' is a genus of flatt ...

, with other homostiids. This cladogram is based on "FISH FROM THE EMSIAN OF ARAGÓN". {{Clade, style={{Clade , 1=''

Taemasosteus ''Taemasosteus'' is an extinct genus of arthrodire placoderm. Its fossils have been found in Emsian-aged marine strata in New South Wales, Australia. It contains two species, ''T. novaustrocambricus'', and ''T. maclartiensis''. The genus (and ...

'' , 2={{Clade , 1=''Tityosteus'' , 2={{Clade , 1=''

'' , 2=''

Homostius ''Homosteus'' is a genus of flattened arthrodire placoderm from the Middle Devonian. Fossils are found primarily in Eifelian-epoch aged strata of Europe, Canada, Greenland, and Estonia. All of the species had comparatively large, flattened ...

'' {{Clade, style=, 1={{Clade , 1=''

'' , label2= Eubrachythoraci , 2={{Clade

References

{{Reflist {{Arthrodira, A. {{Taxonbar, from=Q116199597 Fossil taxa described in 1960 Devonian Europe Emsian genera Arthrodire genera Arthrodires Placoderms of Europe Placoderms of Asia