New observations on the snouts of rhizodont fishes (Palaeozoic Sarcopterygii)

WA Museum Records and Supplements | Updated 1 decade ago

Abstract - Reinvestigation of the snout of the Lower Carboniferous rhizodont fish Barameda decipiens, together with observations on an isolated premaxilla of Strepsodus sauroides from Scotland and a new Devonian rhizodont from Canowindra, Australia, reveals that the rhizodontid snout had only one pair of nostrils rather than two as previously suggested. There are distinct lateral rostraI and tectaI bones surrounding the external naris. The palate of Barameda also shows evidence of a choana being present. The protrusion of the lower jaws in Barameda, previously interpreted as an artefact of preservation, is matched in the three-dimensional Canowindra material and appears to be a real morphological feature. These data permit a new reconstruction of the head of Barameda.