Gorgonichthys is extinct monospecific genus of large arthrodire placoderm. Fossils are found in the Upper Famennian of Late Devonian in Ohio. The type species is Gorgonichthys clarki.
Description
Gorgonichthys had sharp, pointed edges on the dental plates of the upper and lower jaws.
With a headshield length of up to ,
[John A. Long. " A new dinichthyid fish (Placodermi: Arthrodira) from the Upper Devonian of Western Australia, with a discussion of dinichthyid interrelationships". Rea. West. Aust. Mus. 1987, p. 537.] it is estimated to have been comparable to the size of
Dunkleosteus.
Phylogeny
Gorgonichthys is a member of the
clade Aspinothoracidi, which belongs to the clade
Pachyosteomorphi, one of the two major clades within
Eubrachythoraci. It is closely related to the family
Selenosteidae, and could possibly be included in that family. The
cladogram below shows the
phylogeny of
Gorgonichthys:
According to a 2022 Jobbins et al. study, Gorgonichthys was found to be more related to Heintzichthys than Gymnotrachelus, potentially making Gorgonichthys a member of Selenosteidae.
