Andreolepis

Andreolepis is an extinct genus of prehistoric fish, which lived around 420 million years ago.[1] It is placed in the monogeneric family Andreolepididae and is generally regarded as a primitive member of the class Actinopterygii[2] based on its ganoid scale structure; however some new research regards it as a stem group of osteichthyans.[3]

Andreolepis
Temporal range: Late Silurian
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Palaeonisciformes
Family:
Andreolepididae

Märss, 2001
Genus:
Andreolepis

Gross, 1968
Species
  • Andreolepis hedei Gross, 1968
  • Andreolepis petri Märss, 2001

Researchers have used microremains of an Andreolepsis to determine its origins and found that it dated back to the late Silurian.[4]

This organism is considered an ancestor where humans got their teeth from, a vertebrate. During studies, researchers found that the Andreolepsis was capable of shedding its teeth by basal resorption, and it is considered a rather primitive mode of tooth replacement.[5]

The known species of this genus are A. hedei and A. petri. Both species inhabited Russia, and A. hedei fossils have also been uncovered in Sweden, Estonia, and Latvia.[1][2]

References
  1. Andreolepis (Actinopterygii) in the Upper Silurian of Northern Eurasia
  2. The Paleobiology Database
  3. Botella, Hector; Blom, Henning; Dorka, Markus; Ahlberg, Per Erik; Janvier, Philippe (August 2007). "Jaws and teeth of the earliest bony fishes". Nature. 448 (7153): 583–586. doi:10.1038/nature05989. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 17671501.
  4. Chen, Donglei; Janvier, Philippe; Ahlberg, Per E.; Blom, Henning (August 2012). "Scale morphology and squamation of the Late Silurian osteichthyanAndreolepisfrom Gotland, Sweden". Historical Biology. 24 (4): 411–423. doi:10.1080/08912963.2012.668187. ISSN 0891-2963.
  5. Chen, Donglei; Blom, Henning; Sanchez, Sophie; Tafforeau, Paul; Ahlberg, Per E. (2016-10-17). "The stem osteichthyan Andreolepis and the origin of tooth replacement". Nature. 539 (7628): 237–241. doi:10.1038/nature19812. ISSN 0028-0836.


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