Titanichthys

Titanichthys Temporal range: Devonian
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Infraphylum:	Gnathostomata
Class:	†Placodermi
Order:	†Arthrodira
Suborder:	†Brachythoraci
Infraorder:	†Coccosteina
Superfamily:	†Dinichthyloidea
Family:	†Titanichthyidae
Genus:	†Titanichthys
Species:	†T. agassizi
Binomial name
Titanichthys agassizi
Synonyms
Brontichthys

Titanichthys agassizi was a giant, aberrant marine placoderm from the Late Devonian. It approached Dunkleosteus in size and build. Unlike its relative, however, T. agassizi had small, ineffective-looking mouth-plates that lacked a sharp cutting edge. It is presumed that the beast was a filter feeder that used its capacious mouth to swallow or inhale schools of small, anchovy-like fish, or possibly krill-like zooplankton, and that the mouth-plates retained the prey while allowing the water to escape as it closed its mouth.

Titanichthys sp. from Late Devonian of Morocco

When the first specimens were found in Morocco by geologist Henri Termier, Titanichthys was originally placed within the genus Gorgonichthys - that is, after Termier was able to convince his colleagues that the bone scraps were of a placoderm, and not a dinosaur. A junior synonym is Brontichthys, which should not be confused with another arthrodire, Bruntonichthys of the Dinichthyidae.

References

• Haaramo, Mikko (2005): Mikko's Phylogeny Archive: †Dinichthyloidea. Version of 2005-NOV-15. Retrieved 2007-SEP-13.
• Janvier, Philippe (1998): Early Vertebrates. Oxford University Press, Oxford, New York. ISBN 0-19-854047-7
• Long, John A. (1996): The Rise of Fishes: 500 Million Years of Evolution. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. ISBN 0-8018-5438-5