Sanchaspis

Sanchaspis Temporal range: Pragian, 410.8–407.6 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Infraphylum:	Agnatha
Class:	†Galeaspida
Order:	†Huananaspidiformes
Family:	†Sanchaspididae
Genus:	†Sanchaspis Pan et Wang, 1981
Species:	†S. megalorostrata
Binomial name
†Sanchaspis megalorostrata Pan et Wang, 1981

Sanchaspis is an extinct genus of galeaspid jawless fish. It lived during the Pragian period of the Lower Devonian, in the Xujiachong Formation of what is now the province of Yunnan in China. The genus contains one species, S. megalorostrata, described in 1981.^[1]

Description

The head shield of Sanchaspis was unusually shaped, featuring two flattened, backward-curving lateral extensions and an elongated forward protrusion that ended in a bulbous structure.^[1] Like all galeaspids, Sanchaspis had a dorsal opening on the top side of the head shield; this opening was elongated sideways across the head and was rather narrow. The animal's mouth was on the underside of its body. Sanchaspis is thought to have been a bottom-dwelling animal due to its dorsal opening and the placement of its mouth.^[2]

Classification

Sanchaspis is the namesake of the family Sanchaspididae, which is part of the order Huananaspidiformes.^[1]

References

1. Zhu, Min; Gai, Zhikun (April 2007). "Phylogenetic relationships of galeaspids (Agnatha)". Frontiers of Biology in China. 2 (1): 151–169. doi:10.1007/s11515-007-0022-6. Archived from the original on 2024-12-07. Retrieved 2025-08-31 – via ResearchGate.
2. Jiang, Pan; Shitao, Wang (1981). "New discoveries of polybranchiaspids from Yunnan Province". Vertebrata PalAsiatica. 19 (2): 113–121.