Aleosteus

Name: Aleosteus ‭(‬Dice bone‭ ‬-‭ ‬the first part of the name is a reference to an aanceint dice game and Nevada’s gambling connections‭)‬.
Phonetic: Al-e-os-te-us.
Named By: H.‭ ‬G.‭ ‬Johnson,‭ ‬D.‭ ‬K.‭ ‬Elliott‭ & ‬J.‭ ‬H.‭ ‬Wittke‭ ‬-‭ ‬2000.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Vertrbrata,‭ ‬Placodermi,‭ ‬Arthrodira,‭ ‬Actinolepidae.
Species: A.‭ ‬eganensis‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Carnivore/Piscivore.
Size: Uncertain.‭ ‬Head shield is roughly‭ ‬62-63‭ ‬millimetres across.
Known locations: USA,‭ ‬Nevada‭ ‬-‭ ‬Sevy Dolomite Formation.
Time period: Emsian of the Devonian.
Fossil representation: ‭P‬artial head shield.

       Aleosteus was a small arthrodire placoderm‭ ‬fish that seems to have been nowhere close to the size of giant arthrodire placoderms like Dunkleosteus and Titanichthys.‭ ‬Aleosteus was probably a predator of other small placoderms and possible invertebrates.‭ ‬As a member of the Actinolepidae,‭ ‬Aleosteus is a primitive arthrodire placoderm.

Further reading
-‭ ‬A new actinolepid arthrodire‭ (‬Class Placodermi‭) ‬from the Lower Devonian Sevy Dolomite,‭ ‬East-Central Nevada,‭ ‬H.‭ ‬G.‭ ‬Johnson,‭ ‬D.‭ ‬K.‭ ‬Elliott‭ & ‬J.‭ ‬H.‭ ‬Wittke‭ ‬-‭ ‬2000.



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