Two Devonian Fishes from Scotland

Two Devonian Fishes from Scotland
Osteolepis and Pterichthyodes
Devonian
Old Red Sandstone Formation, Scotland
Two contrasting 380-million-year-old fish species are seen in attractive black stone matrix on this plate from the Old Red Sandstone Formation of Scotland. A 7-inch-long Osteolepis – a lobe-finned fish which possessed large, square scales and plates on its head covered with a spongy, bony material called cosmine – was the closest relative to the very first tetrapods, which crawled onto the land. The smaller fish is a Pterichthyodes, a genus with a heavily armored head and upper body, and bizarre wing-like appendages. Both are decidedly primitive looking in comparison to fishes that arose after the Devonian Period. Matrix measuring 18 x 6in; Osteolepis measuring 7in; Pterichthyodes measuring 2 1/2in