| Yiminaspis Temporal range: Late Emsian,
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| Yiminaspis shenme | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | †Placodermi |
| Order: | †Arthrodira |
| Family: | †Wuttagoonaspidae |
| Genus: | †Yiminaspis Dupret, 2008 |
| Species | |
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Yiminaspis is an extinct monospecific genus of primitive arthrodire placoderm fish from Emsian-aged marine strata in Yunnan, China. The type species Yiminaspis shenme was named and described in 2008, and is known from a flattened partial skull and portions of the thoracic armor.
The genus name translates as "Yi People's shield", deriving from the Chinese name Yímín (simplified Chinese: 彝民; traditional Chinese: 彞民; lit. 'Yi People', an ethnic group in China, Vietnam, and Thailand) and the Greek word aspis ("a type of round shield"). The specific name is from Chinese shénme (simplified Chinese: 什么; traditional Chinese: 什麼; lit. 'what'), as in "what is it?" reference to the peculiar anatomy of this prehistoric fish.[1]
Yiminaspis belongs to the family Wuttagoonaspidae, and is closely related to Wuttagoonaspis. It is one of the more basal members of the order Arthrodira, as shown in the cladogram below:[2]
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Actinolepidoidei
Phlyctaeniina |
