List of acanthodians

Various primitive acanthodians from Early Devonian England and Scotland, Mesacanthus pusillus, Parexus falcatus, Ishnacanthus gracilis

This list of acanthodians is an attempt to create a comprehensive listing of all genera that have ever been included in the subclass Acanthodii, excluding purely vernacular terms. The list includes all commonly accepted genera, but also genera that are now considered invalid, doubtful (nomina dubia), or were not formally published (nomina nuda), as well as junior synonyms of more established names, and genera that are no longer considered acanthodians.

The list includes 107 genera.

• Extinct genera are marked with a dagger (†).
• Extant genera are bolded.

Naming conventions and terminology

Naming conventions and terminology follow the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Technical terms used include:

• Junior synonym: A name which describes the same taxon as a previously published name. If two or more genera are formally designated and the type specimens are later assigned to the same genus, the first to be published (in chronological order) is the senior synonym, and all other instances are junior synonyms. Senior synonyms are generally used, except by special decision of the ICZN, but junior synonyms cannot be used again, even if deprecated. Junior synonymy is often subjective, unless the genera described were both based on the same type specimen.
• Nomen nudum (Latin for "naked name"): A name that has appeared in print but has not yet been formally published by the standards of the ICZN. Nomina nuda (the plural form) are invalid, and are therefore not italicized as a proper generic name would be. If the name is later formally published, that name is no longer a nomen nudum and will be italicized on this list. Often, the formally published name will differ from any nomina nuda that describe the same specimen.
• Nomen oblitum (Latin for "forgotten name"): A name that has not been used in the scientific community for more than fifty years after its original proposal.
• Preoccupied name: A name that is formally published, but which has already been used for another taxon. This second use is invalid (as are all subsequent uses) and the name must be replaced. As preoccupied names are not valid generic names, they will also go unitalicized on this list.
• Nomen dubium (Latin for "dubious name"): A name describing a fossil with no unique diagnostic features. As this can be an extremely subjective and controversial designation, this term is not used on this list.

The List

Genus	Status	Age	Location	Description	Images
†Acanthacanthus[1]	Valid.		Severnaya Zemlya.[2]		Acanthodes. Climatius. A school of Climatius. Mesacanthus. Nostolepis.
†Acanthodopsis[3]	Valid.	Pennsylvanian.[3]	Europe.[3]
†Acanthopora[3]	Valid.		Severnaya Zemlya.[2]
†Acanthospina[4]	Valid.		Severnaya Zemlya.[2]
†Acanthodes[5]	Valid.	Early Devonian. Cisuralian.
†Acritolepis[1]	Valid.		Severnaya Zemlya.[2]
†Aganacanthus[6]	Valid.	Mississippian.[6]
†Antacanthus[6]	Valid.	Mississippian.[6]
†Antarchtonchus[4]	Valid.
†Apateacanthus[7]	Valid.	Late Devonian.[7]	North America.[3]
†Archaeacanthus[4]	Valid.	Middle Devonian.[4]	Europe.[4]
†Arcticacanthus[3]	Valid.		Severnaya Zemlya.[2]
†Arenaceacanthus[8]	Valid.		Europe.[8]
†Atopacanthus[7]	Valid.	Middle Devonian.[7] Late Devonian.[7]
†Brachyacanthus[1]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[1]
†Bracteatacanthus[8]	Valid.		Europe.[8]
†Brochoadmones[7]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[7]
†Bryantonchus[3]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[3]
†Byssacanthoides[4]	Valid.
†Cacheacanthus[3]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[3]
†Campylodus[4]	Valid.
†Canadalepis[4]	Valid.
†Carycinacanthus[9]	Valid.	Mississippian.[9]
†Cassidiceps[7]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[7]	North America.[4]
†Cheiracanthoides[7]	Valid.	Middle Devonian.[7] Late Devonian.[7]
†Cheiracanthus[7]	Valid.
†Climatius[7]	Valid.
†Ctenacanthus[10]	Valid.		South America.[10]
†Culmacanthus[1]	Valid.
†Devononchus[4]	Valid.	Late Devonian.[4]	Europe.[4]
†Diplacanthus[7]	Valid.		Severnaya Zemlya.[2]
†Doliodus[7]	Valid.	Ludlow.[7] Early Devonian.[7]
†Eiffellepis[1]	Valid.	Middle Devonian.[1]
†Erriwacanthus[1]	Valid.
†Endemolepis[4]	Valid.
†Eupleurogmus[4]	Valid.	Mississippian.[4]	Australia.[4]
†Euthacanthus[1]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[1]
†Fecundosquama[8]	Valid.		Europe.[8]
†Gemuendolepis[7]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[7]	Europe.[4]
†Gladiobranchus[7]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[7]
†Gomphacanthus[7]	Valid.	Pridoli.[7] Pennsylvanian.[7]
†Gomphonchoporus[3]	Valid.
†Gomphonchus[7]	Valid.	Ludlow.[7]	Severnaya Zemlya.[2]
†Granulacanthus[11]	Valid.	Wenlock or Ludlow.[11]	North America.[11]
†Grenfellacanthus[3]	Valid.
†Gyracanthides[6]	Valid.	Mississippian.[6]
†Gyracanthus[7]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[7] Pennsylvanian.[7]
†Hanilepis[7]	Valid.	Ludlow.[7]
†Haplacanthus[7]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[7] Late Devonian.[7]	Europe.[4]
†Helenacanthus[3]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[3]
†Helolepis[1]	Valid.
†Holmesella[4]	Valid.	Pennsylvanian.[4]	North America.[4]
†Homacanthus[7]	Valid.	Middle Devonian.[7] Pennsylvanian.[7]	Europe.[4] North America.[4]
†Homalacanthus[9]	Valid.
†Howittacanthus[12]	Valid.
†Ischnacanthus[7]	Valid.	Pridoli.[7] Early Devonian.[7]
†Kathemacanthus[7]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[7]
†Latviacanthus[1]	Valid.
†Lodeacanthus[9]	Valid.
†Lupopsyrus[7]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[7]
†Machaeracanthus[7]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[7] Late Devonian.[7]
†Marsdenius[7]	Valid.	Pennsylvanian.[7]
†Mesacanthus	Valid.
†Monopleurodus[4]	Valid.	Pridoli.	Europe.[4]
†Monospina[4]	Valid.
†Nodocosta[7]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[7] Late Devonian.[7]
†Nodonchus[7]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[7]
†Nostolepis[7]	Valid.	Wenlock.[7] Middle Devonian.[7]	Severnaya Zemlya.[2]
†Onchus[7]	Valid.	Llandovery.[7] Late Devonian.[7]	Europe.[4] North America.[4]
†Oracanthus[7]	Valid.	Mississippian.[7]
†Parexus[7]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[1]
†Paucicanthus[13]	Valid.		North America.[11]
†Persacanthus[7]	Valid.	Late Devonian.[7]
†Pinnacanthus[4]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[4]	North America.[4]
†Plectrodus[3]	Valid.
†Protodus[4]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[4] Middle Devonian.[4]	North America.[4]
†Poracanthodes[7]	Valid.	Ludlow.[7]
†Protogonacanthus[7]	Valid.	Late Devonian.[7]
†Pruemolepis[7]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[7] Mississippian.[7]
†Pseudacanthodes[9]	Valid.	Pennsylvanian.[9]
†Ptomacanthus[1]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[1]
†Ptychodictyon[1]	Valid.
†Radioporacanthodes[3]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[3]
†Rhadinacanthus[1]	Valid.
†Rockycampacanthus[3]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[3]
†Rohonilepis[8]	Valid.		Europe.[8]
†Sabrinacanthus[1]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[1]
†Sevyacanthus[1]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[1]
†Sinacanthus[4]	Valid.	Middle Devonian.[4]	Asia.[4]
†Striacanthus[4]	Valid.	Middle Devonian.[4] Late Devonian.[4]	Australia.[4]
†Taemasacanthus[3]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[3]
†Tetanopsyrus[1]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[1]
†Triazeugacanthus[9]	Valid.	Late Devonian.[9]
†Traquairia[9]	Valid.
†Traquairichthys[9]	Valid.
†Trundlelepis[4]	Valid.
†Uraniacanthus[3]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[3]
†Utahacanthus[9]	Valid.
†Vernicomacanthus[1]	Valid.	Early Devonian.[1]
†Vesperalia[8]	Valid.		Europe.[8]
†Watsonacanthus[1]	Valid.		Severnaya Zemlya.[2]
†Welteldorifa[1]	Valid.	Middle Devonian.[1]
†Xylacanthus[11]	Valid.		North America.[11]
†Yealepis[4]	Valid.

See also

• Acanthodians
• List of placoderms
• List of prehistoric bony fish
• List of prehistoric cartilaginous fish
• List of prehistoric jawless fish

References

1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Haraamo, Mikko (2008-03-11). "†Climatiiformes". Retrieved 2008-09-08. 
2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Valiukevicius, J. (2003) Devonian acanthodians from Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago (Russia): Geodiversitas, v. 25, n. 1, p. 131-204. Full cite.
3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Haraamo, Mikko (2008-03-11). "†Ischnacanthiformes". Retrieved 2008-09-08. 
4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 Haraamo, Mikko (2006-02-19). "†Acanthodii". Retrieved 2007-12-23. 
5. ↑ Nicholson, Henry Alleyne; Richard Lydekker (1889). A Manual of Palaeontology. Blackwood. p. 966. 
6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Haraamo, Mikko (2008-03-11). "†Gyracanthidae". Retrieved 2008-09-08. 
7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera (entry on Acanthodii)". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Retrieved 2008-09-04. 
8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Valiukevičius, J. 2004. New Wenlock–Pridoli (Silurian) acanthodian fishes from Lithuania. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 49 (1): 147–160.
9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Haraamo, Mikko (2004-10-25). "†Acanthodiformes". Retrieved 2008-09-08. 
10. 1 2 Philippe Janvier, Jose Henrique G. Melo, Acanthodian fish remains from the Upper Silurian or Lower Devonian of the Amazon Basin, Brazil. Palaeontology, Vol 31, part 3, Aug 1988
11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 G.F. Hanke,1 M.V.H. Wilson, and L.A. Lindoe, New species of Silurian acanthodians from the Mackenzie Mountains, Canada. Can. J. Earth Sci. 38: 1517–1529 (2001)
12. ↑ Zajíc J. Some consequences of recent investigations on the family Acanthodidae Huxley,1861. - Geobios, M. S., 19, 167-169 (1995) Lyon
13. ↑ G.Gavin F. Hanke Paucicanthus vanelsti gen. et sp. nov., an Early Devonian (Lochkovian) acanthodian that lacks paired fin-spines. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, Vol 39, 7, July 2002

External links

• Paleobiology Database entry on the class "Acanthodii"

Evolution of fish
Forerunners	Chordata Lancelet Haikouichthys
Jawless fish	Conodonts †Prioniodontida †Promissum Ostracoderms †Pteraspida †Thelodonti †Anaspida †Galeaspida †Pituriaspida †Osteostraci
Jawed fish	Spiny sharks †Climatiiformes †Ischnacanthiformes Placoderms †Antiarchi †Arthrodira †Brindabellaspida †Petalichthyida †Phyllolepida †Ptyctodontida †Rhenanida †Acanthothoraci † †Pseudopetalichthyida? †Stensioellida? Cartilaginous Elasmobranchii Holocephali Bony Lobe-finned Actinistia Coelacanth Lungfish Tetrapodomorpha Ray-finned Chondrostei Neopterygii Holostei Teleostei
Lists	Lists of prehistoric fish spiny sharks placoderms cartilaginous bony lobe-finned List of transitional fossils
Related	Prehistoric life Transitional fossils Vertebrate paleontology
† extinct