New morphological information on, and species of placoderm fish Africanaspis (Arthrodira, Placodermi) from the Late Devonian of South Africa

Here we present a new species of placoderm fish, Africanaspis edmountaini sp. nov., and redescribe Africanaspis doryssa on the basis of new material collected from the type locality of Africanaspis. The new material includes the first head shields of Africanaspis doryssa in addition to soft anatomy for both taxa. Hitherto Africanaspis was entirely described from trunk armour and no record of body and fin outlines had been recorded. In addition the first record of embryonic and juvenile specimens of Africanaspis doryssa is presented and provides a growth series from presumed hatchlings to presumed adults. The presence of a greater number of juveniles compared to adults indicates that the Waterloo Farm fossil site in South Africa represents the first nursery site of arthrodire placoderms known from a cold water environment. The preservation of an ontogenetic series demonstrates that variation within the earlier known sample, initially considered to have resulted from ontogenetic change, instead indicates the presence of a second, less common species Africanaspis edmountaini sp. nov. There is some faunal overlap between the Waterloo Farm fossil site and faunas described from Strud in Belgium and Red Hill, Pennsylvania, in north America, supporting the concept of a more cosmopolitan vertebrate fauna in the Famennian than earlier in the Devonian

The unique fossil assemblage from the Lode Quarry (Upper Devonian, Latvia)

The unique fossil fauna from the Lode clay quarry, lower Frasnian, Latvia, includes a diverse ichthyofauna of at least 15 taxa of agnathans and gnathostomes, representing most of the major taxa of Devonian vertebrates. Six new fish taxa (five species and one genus) were discovered during the last ten years. Exceptionally well-preserved juvenile fishes (<i>Asterolepis ornata, Lodeacanthus gaujicus</i>) provide unique data on ontogenetic change. Diverse arthropods are recorded. Parasitic platyhelminth remains in juvenile fish bodies is their first discovery in the fossil record, and represents the oldest parasitic association ever found. A complete faunal and floral list for the Lode quarry is presented, with a detailed biostratigraphic section. Comparison of vertebrata taxa from the Gauja Regional Stage with similar of the Main Devonian Field, Scotland, Timan, Canada, and Germany is reviewed. <br><br> Die einzigartige Lebensgemeinschaft von Lode repräsentiert eine diverse Fischfauna nahezu aller Hauptwirbeltiertaxa, die im Devon lebten. Sechs neue Fischtaxa (5 Arten und 1 Gattung) wurden in den letzten zehn Jahren in den Unter-Frasnium-Schichten der Ziegeleigrube von Lode in Lettland entdeckt. Insgesamt sind 15 identifizierte und unbestimmte Fisch- und Agnathen-Arten von dort bekannt. Besondere Beachtung wurde den außergewöhnlich gut erhaltenen Jugendformen von <i>Asterolepis ornata</i> und <i>Lodeacanthus gaujicus</i> und verschiedenen Invertebraten (Crustacea, Merostomata) gespendet, die in einer einzigen Linse fein verteilten Tones gefunden wurden. Reste parasitischer Platyhelminthen, die in Jungfischen auftreten, wurden hier zum ersten Mal als Fossilien entdeckt; sie repräsentieren die älteste bisher gefundene parasitische Gemeinschaft. Eine Liste der organischen Reste aus den Schichten der Ziegeleigrube Lode wird präsentiert. Ein detailliertes biostratigraphisches Profil wird beschrieben. Die Fischfaunen aus der Gauja Regional-Stufe werden mit denen vom Hauptdevonfeld Russlands, von Schottland, dem Timan, Kanadas und Deutschlands verglichen. <br.><br> doi:<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mmng.20010040108" target="_blank">10.1002/mmng.20010040108</a