Yongdongaspis

Yongdongaspis, colloquially known as the Binhai Yongdong,^[1][2] is an extinct genus of galeaspid vertebrates within the monotypic family Yongdongaspididae. The type species is Y. littoralis and it was found in the Silurian-aged Huixingshao Formation of China.^[3] This makes it the oldest known fish fossil discovered in Chongqing to date.

Yongdongaspis Temporal range: Llandovery, ~436 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ Telychian
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Infraphylum:	Agnatha
Class:	†Galeaspida
Order:	†Eugaleaspidiformes
Family:	†Yongdongaspididae Chen et al., 2022
Genus:	†Yongdongaspis Chen et al., 2022
Species:	†Y. littoralis
Binomial name
†Yongdongaspis littoralis Chen et al., 2022

Discovery and naming

The holotype was excavated in July 2020 and was prepared in 2021, before being named as the new species Yongdongaspis littoralis in July 2022.^[3]

Description

Based on the holotype, Yongdongaspis only grew to around 5 centimetres (2.0 in) long.^[2][3]