Yiminaspis

Yiminaspis is an extinct monospecific genus of primitive arthrodire placoderm fish from Emsian-aged marine strata in Yunnan, China. The type species Yiminaspis shenme was named and described in 2008, and is known from a flattened partial skull and portions of the thoracic armor.

Yiminaspis Temporal range: Late Emsian, 407–393 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Yiminaspis shenme
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	†Placodermi
Order:	†Arthrodira
Family:	†Wuttagoonaspidae
Genus:	†Yiminaspis Dupret, 2008
Species
†Yiminaspis shenme Dupret, 2008 (type)

Etymology

The genus name translates as "Yi People's shield", deriving from the Chinese name Yímín (simplified Chinese: 彝民; traditional Chinese: 彞民; lit. 'Yi People', an ethnic group in China, Vietnam, and Thailand) and the Greek word aspis ("a type of round shield"). The specific name is from Chinese shénme (simplified Chinese: 什么; traditional Chinese: 什麼; lit. 'what'), as in "what is it?" reference to the peculiar anatomy of this prehistoric fish.^[1]

Classification

Yiminaspis belongs to the family Wuttagoonaspidae, and is closely related to Wuttagoonaspis. It is one of the more basal members of the order Arthrodira, as shown in the cladogram below: ^[2]

Eurycaraspis incilis Lunaspis broilii Arthrodira Yujiangolepis liujingensis Antarctaspis mcmurdoensis Wuttagoonaspidae Wuttagoonaspis fletcheri Yiminaspis shenme Aethaspis major Aethaspis utahensis Lehmanosteus hyperboreus Aleosteus eganensis Simblaspis cachensis Kujdanowiaspis buczacziensis Kujdanowiaspis podolica Erikaspis zychi Sigaspis lepidophora Eskimaspis heintzi Baringaspis dineleyi Proaethaspis ohioensis Anarthraspis chamberlini Heightingtonaspis anglica Phyllolepida Gavinaspis convergens Austrophyllolepis sp. Cowralepis mclachlani Phyllolepis orvini Placolepis budawangensis Actinolepidae Bollandaspis woschmidti Actinolepis spinosa Actinolepis magna Actinolepis tuberculata Bryantolepis brachycephalus Phlyctaenioidei Phlyctaeniidae Groenlandaspidae Arctaspidae Dicksonosteus arcticus Arctolepidae Brachythoraci

Actinolepidoidei Phlyctaeniina