Astraspis

Astraspis is an extinct, monotypic genus of primitive jawless fish from the Ordovician of Central North America including the Harding Sandstone of Colorado and Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming. It is also known from Bolivia. It is related to other Ordovician fishes, such as the South American Sacabambaspis, and the Australian Arandaspis.

Description

Nearly complete fossils suggest the living animals were about in length. The body had a mobile tail covered with small protective plate-like scales of less than and a forebody covered with plate-like scales larger than. The specimen from North America had relatively large, laterally-positioned eyes and a series of eight gill openings on each side. The specimen was generally oval in cross-section. The protective bony plates covering the animal were composed of aspidin, covered by tubercles composed of dentine. It is from these tubercles that the name "Astraspis" is derived. The histology of Astraspis desiderata was unique. Its hard tissues were made up of irregular soft tissue gaps and a basal component of spongy aspidin with extensive trabeculae. As is typical of Astraspis, the individual tubercles were composed of dentine with an enameloid cover, which contains a high density of parallel, fine-calibrated tapered tubules.