Parayunnanolepis xitunensis

Parayunnanolepis xitunensis

The antiarch placoderm shows that all jawed vertebrates possess both pectoral and pelvic appendages

Age

Lochkovian, Early Devonian, 413 million years ago

Distribution 

Qujing, Yunnan, China

Taxonomy 

Placoderm, Antiarcha

Body size

Small-sized, about 11 mm in length

Ecology

Basically inhabit the bottom of the water, and not very motile. May feed on worms, organic debris and other food

Trivia 

Parayunnanolepis is the most well-preserved early antiarch, which was was chosen to represent early vertebrate evolution in the BBC nature documentary “Rise of the Animals”