Athenaegis

Taxonavigation

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Podiata
Cladus: Amorphea
Cladus: Obazoa
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Cladus: Filozoa
Cladus: Choanozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: ParaHoxozoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Cladus: Olfactores
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Superclassis/Classis: †Pteraspidomorphi
Subclassis: †Heterostraci
Genus: Athenaegis
Species: A. chattertoni

Note: The placement of this species has been unclear; Soehn & Wilson (1990) placed it in the Tolypelepidinae (Heterostraci: Cyathaspidiformes: Cyathaspididae) but later authors (Dec, 2015) have excluded it from the Cyathaspidiformes and possibly even the Heterostraci due to morphological characteristics. Some authors (Janvier, 1996) place it within the Heterostraci but not a member of any order, sister to “higher Heterostraci”, which Dec (2015) considered the "current placement". Randle & Sansom (2017) agreed with placing Athenaegis outside of either order, and this placement is followed here.

Name

Athenaegis Soehn & Wilson, 1990.

Etymology: From Greek Athene (Ἀθηνη) + aegis (αἰγίς, shield)

Type data

Type species: Athenaegis chattertoni (by monotypy)

Type locality: MacKenzie Mountains, Canada (Silurian)

Holotype: UALVP 15682

References

Dec, M. 2015. A new Tolypelepidid (Agnatha, Heterostraci) from the Late Silurian of Poland. Journal of Paleontology. 89(4): 637–644. DOI: 10.1017/jpa.2015.28 .Reference page.
Janvier, P. 1996. Early Vertebrates. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 393 pp. Reference page.
Randle, E. & Sansom, R.S. 2017. Phylogenetic relationships of the ‘higher heterostracans’ (Heterostraci: Pteraspidiformes and Cyathaspididae), extinct jawless vertebrate. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 181: 910–926. DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx025 Reference page.
Soehn, K.L. & Wilson, M.V.H. 1990. A complete, articulated Heterostracan from Wenlockian (Silurian) beds of the Delorme group, Mackenzie mountains, Northwest Territories, Canada. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 10(4): 405–419. Reference page.