Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 14, 2026

Asterodermus

Asterodermus is an extinct genus of asterodermid rays from the Jurassic period. A single species, A. platypterus, is described. It is known mainly from the early Tithonian of Germany, including the famous Lagerstätte site of Solnhofen. Additionally, Asterodermus scales have been found among articulated skeletons of neoselachians from the Tithonian of southern Germany.

Last revised
Jun 14, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
225 w
Citations
5
Source
Asterodermus
Temporal range: Late Jurassic,
Fossil from the Tithonian of Germany
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Division: Batomorphi
Order: Apolithabatiformes
Family: Asterodermidae
Genus: Asterodermus
Agassiz, 1836
Species:
A. platypterus
Binomial name
Asterodermus platypterus
Agassiz, 1836

Asterodermus (from Greek: ἀστήρ aster, 'star' and Greek: δέρμα dérma, 'skin')1 is an extinct genus of asterodermid rays from the Jurassic period.2 A single species, A. platypterus, is described. It is known mainly from the early Tithonian of Germany, including the famous Lagerstätte site of Solnhofen.34 Additionally, Asterodermus scales have been found among articulated skeletons of neoselachians from the Tithonian of southern Germany.5

References

References

  1. Roberts, George (1839). An etymological and explanatory dictionary of the terms and language of geology. London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longmans. p. 12. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  2. "Fossilworks: Asterodermus platypterus". fossilworks.org. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  3. Thies, D. E. T. L. E. V., & Leidner, A. R. M. I. N. (2011). Sharks and guitarfishes (Elasmobranchii) from the Late Jurassic of Europe. Palaeodiversity, 4, 63-184.
  4. Türtscher, Julia; Jambura, Patrick L.; Spindler, Frederik; Kriwet, Jürgen (2025-01-23). "Insights into stem Batomorphii: A new holomorphic ray (Chondrichthyes, Elasmobranchii) from the upper Jurassic of Germany". PLOS One. 20 (1) e0310174. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0310174. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 11756912. PMID 39847754.
  5. Thies, D. (1995). Placoid scales (Chondrichthyes: Elasmobranchii) from the Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) of northern Germany. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 15(3), 463-481. doi:10.1080/02724634.1995.10011242