The orbito-nasal area of Asterolepis ornata, a Middle Devonian placoderm fish

ABSTRACT

The structure of the orbito-nasal cavity in the antiarchan placoderm fish Asterolepis ornata has been studied, providing a detailed description of the premedian, rostral, and pineal plates, and bones of the sclerotic ring. Both eyes and nostrils were directed antero-latero-dorsally in Asterolepis. Eyes were enclosed within the sclerotic capsule. Nasal cavities were not opened into a so called “prenasal slit,” but directly above the head of fish. A new reconstruction of the nasal openings and position of the nasal sacs shows broader similarities between various antiarchs than was previously claimed, and allows the evaluation of the differences in the structure of the orbito-nasal cavities in antiarchs and osteostracans to disclaim the hypothesis about the presence of nasohypophyseal opening in antiarchs.