Cowralepis mclachlani (Ritchie 2005; Carr, Joahnson and Ritchie 2009. Middle Devonian) is a phyllolepid placoderm derived from Entelognathus. The skull is disc-like with a ventrally open premaxilla and no jaws. Several specimens are known documenting a complete growth series. The head shield is longer than the trunk shield. Two pairs of premaxillae and vomers are present. Cowralepis had an ossified vertebral column, a large epicercal caudal fin and small pelvic fins but lacked a dorsal fin. The eyes are lateral, the anteriorly oriented nares are atop the nasals.
Phyllolepis undulata (Agassiz 1844; Late Devonian, 370mya) was a freshwater, floodplain pond phyllolepid similar Cowralepis with a long, low body. Presumed blind, the sensory organs of this bottom dweller might have been located in carapace grooves.
Agassiz JLR 1844. Monographie de poissons fossiles des Vieux Grès Rouges ou Système Dévonien (Old Red Sandstone) des Îles Britanniques et de Russie. Imprimerie de Petitpierre et Prince, Neuchâtel.
Carr RK, Johanson Z and Ritchie A 2009. .The phyllolepid placoderm Cowralepis mclachlani: insights into the evolution of feeding mechanisms in jawed vertebrates. J Morphol 270(7):775-804. doi: 10.1002/jmor.10719.
Ritche A 2005. Cowralepis, a new genus of phyllolepid fish (Pisces, Placodermi) from the Middle Devonian of New South Wales. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 126:215–259.
Ritchie A and Gilbert-Tomlinson J 1977. First Ordovician vertebrates from the Southern Hemisphere. Alcheringa 1:351-368.
