Parexus

Name: Parexus ‭(‬decoration,‭ ‬a reference to the large spine‭)‬.
Phonetic: Pah-rex-us.
Named By: Louis Agassiz‭ ‬-‭ ‬1845.
Synonyms: Farnellia tuberculata, Parexus falcatus.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Acanthodii,‭ ‬Climatiiformes,‭ ‬Climatiidae.
Species: P.‭ ‬recurvus.
Diet: Carnivore.
Size: Roughly about‭ ‬15‭ ‬centimetres long.
Known locations: Scotland.
Time period: Early Devonian.
Fossil representation: Several individuals.

       Parexus is a genus of acanthodian‭ (‬often dubbed spiny shark‭) ‬fish that lived in the waters of what is now Scotland during the early Devonian.‭ ‬Acanthodian fish are noted for their large spines which may have initially developed for defence against the mouths and throats of larger predators.‭ ‬However,‭ ‬some of these spines are so large and oddly formed that they may well have served a display function to allow an individual to recognise others of its own species.‭ ‬The key feature of Parexus is the incredibly enlarged spine that rises up in front of the first dorsal fin.

Further reading
-‭ ‬Redescription of Parexus recurvus,‭ ‬an Early Devonian acanthodian from the Midland Valley of Scotland.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Alcheringa:‭ ‬An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology‭ ‬-‭ ‬Carole J.‭ ‬Burrow,‭ ‬Michael J.‭ ‬Newman,‭ ‬Robert G.‭ ‬Davidson and Jan L.‭ ‬den Blaauwen‭ ‬-‭ ‬2013.

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