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Foxaspis
Temporal range:
Pragian, 410 Ma
↓
Photographs of the holotype and paratype
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Infraphylum: Agnatha
Class: Cephalaspidomorphi
Order: †Polybranchiaspidiformes
Family: †Duyunolepididae
Genus: †Foxaspis
Gai et al., 2023
Type species
†Foxaspis novemura
Zhikun Gai, Xianghong Lin, Xianren Shan, Humberto G. Ferrón, and Philip C. J. Donoghue, 2023

Foxaspis (IPA: [fɒksæspɪs]) (meaning "fox shield") is a genus of duyunolepidid galeaspid from Pragian in Guangxi; Southern China. The type and only species is F. novemura, known from two specimens consisting of a complete headshield articulated with a body and tail, and an incomplete headshield and exceptionally preserved tail.[1]

Description

Foxaspis is known from two specimens which were described in 2023 by Gai et al., (2023). The holotype, IVPP V30958.1a-b consists of a complete headshield articulated with a body and tail. The paratype, IVPP V30958.2-3, consists of an incomplete headshield and exceptionally preserved tail.[1]

Reconstruction of Foxaspis

Etymology

The generic name, Foxaspis (IPA: [fɒksæspɪs]), is derived from the English word fox and the Greek word aspis which roughly translates to "shield", meaning the generic name translates to "fox shield". The specific name, novemura (IPA: [no.vemˈuːrä]), which derives from the Latin words novem, which translates to "nine," and suffix -ura which refers to a tail, meaning the specific name translates to "nine tails". It was named as such after the nine-tailed fox, a mythical beast mentioned in the Shanhai jing.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c Gai, Zhikun; Lin, Xianghong; Shan, Xianren; Ferrón, Humberto; Donoghue, Philip (27 February 2023). "Postcranial disparity of galeaspids and the evolution of swimming speeds in stem-gnathostomes". National Science Review. 10 (2): nwad050. doi:10.1093/nsr/nwad050. hdl:10550/85976. PMC 10232041. PMID 37266551.
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