Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 14, 2026

Enseosteus

Enseosteus is an extinct genus of small selenosteid arthrodire placoderms known from the Upper Frasnian Kellwasserkalk facies of Late Devonian Germany and Morocco.

Last revised
Jul 14, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
194 w
Citations
5
Source
Enseosteus
Temporal range: Late Frasnian1
Enseosteus marocanensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Placodermi
Order: Arthrodira
Suborder: Brachythoraci
Family: Selenosteidae
Genus: Enseosteus
Jaeckel, 1919
Type species
Enseosteus jaekelli
Gross, 1932
Species
  • E. jaekelli Gross, 1932
  • E. hermanni Stensiö 1959
  • E. marocensis Rücklin, 2011
Synonyms
  • Ottonosteus jaekeli Stensiö, 1959

Enseosteus is an extinct genus of small selenosteid arthrodire placoderms known from the Upper Frasnian Kellwasserkalk facies of Late Devonian Germany1 and Morocco.2

Enseosteus is very similar to the other Kellwasserkalk selenosteids, though, the type species, E. jaekelli, has a bulbous, knob-shaped rostrum. Denison (1978) synonymizes the genera Ottonosteus (O. jaekeli = E. hermanni) and Walterosteus with Enseosteus, claiming that the two genera are too similar to Enseosteus to merit separate genus status.1 Rücklin (2011) agrees with Denison's synonymizing of Ottonosteus, but rejects Denison's synonymization of Walterosteus, claiming how Walterosteus has a contact between the rostral plate and the pineal plate, which Enseosteus does not.2

References

References

  1. Denison, Robert (1978). Handbook of Paleoichthyology, Volume 2, Placodermi. New York: Gustav Fischer Verlage. pp. 96–98. ISBN 9780895740274.
  2. RÜCKLIN, MARTIN (January 14, 2011). "First selenosteid placoderms from the eastern Anti-Atlas of Morocco; osteology, phylogeny and palaeogeographical implications". Palaeontology. 56 (1): 25–62. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2010.01026.x.