Larnovaspis
Fish
Lower Devonian (Pridolian)
Dniester Formation
Zalishchyky, Podolia, Ukraine

58mm shield on 96mm slab.

Larnovaspis is a genus of armored jawless fishes of the Subclass Heterostraci, aka the heterostracans. So far, it is known only from the Devonian of Ukraine. In this group the head is armored with bony shields while the body is less-protected by smaller scales. Casts of the interior surface of the head shields have allowed scientists to study the exterior of the brain and the sensory systems which has helped in the understanding of the early stages of vertebrate evolution. Most of what has been found of these fishes are isolated shields.

Heterostracans were very diverse during the Silurian but they died out by the end of the Devonian. Their shields have been found in the United States, Canada, and Europe – regions that were at or even south of the equator during the Early Devonian.

This specimen is for the fish collector looking for a more substantial example of one of the early Paleozoic jawless fishes. It’s also for the advanced vertebrate collector looking for a piece representing the stage in vertebrate evolution not long after the development of a mineralized skeleton.