Gyracanthides

Gyracanthides; Temporal range: Devonian–Carboniferous (Pragian–Visean) PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Life restoration
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	†Acanthodii
Order:	†Climatiiformes (?)
Family:	†Gyracanthidae
Genus:	†Gyracanthides; Woodward, 1906
Type species
	†Gyracanthides murrayi; Woodward, 1906
Other species
	†G. warreni White, 1968; †G. hawkinsi Turner et al., 2005; †G. riniensis Gess & Burrow, 2024;

Gyracanthides is an extinct genus of acanthodian gnathostome, known from Devonian to Early Carboniferous.^[2]^[3]

Description

Gyracanthides is large acanthodian, G. murrayi reached the length up to 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in). The pectoral fin spines are large compared to its body, for specimen that have estimated to be 90 cm (35 in) had pectoral fin spines around 40 cm (16 in) long.^[2] A recent study suggested that Gyracanthides is closely related to chondrichthyans (as currently delimited), and that acanthodians are paraphyletic.^[4]

References

^ Gess, Robert W.; Burrow, Carole J. (2024-02-06). "A new gyracanthid (stem Chondrichthyes) from the Late Devonian (Famennian) of the Eastern Cape, South Africa". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (In press). e2305888. doi:10.1080/02724634.2024.2305888.
^ ^a ^b Warren, Anne; Currie, Bryan P.; Burrow, Carole; Turner, Susan (2000). "A redescription and reinterpretation of Gyracanthides murrayi Woodward 1906 (Acanthodii, Gyracanthidae) from the Lower Carboniferous of the Mansfield Basin, Victoria, Australia". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 20 (2): 225–242. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2000)020[0225:ARAROG]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 130940413.
^ TURNER, SUSAN; BURROW, CAROLE J.; WARREN, ANNE (2005). "Gyracanthides hawkinsi sp. nov. (Acanthodii, Gyracanthidae) from the Lower Carboniferous of Queensland, Australia, with a Review of Gyracanthid Taxa". Palaeontology. 48 (5): 963–1006. Bibcode:2005Palgy..48..963T. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2005.00479.x. S2CID 84735724.
^ Maisey, John G.; Miller, Randall; Pradel, Alan; Denton, John S.S.; Bronson, Allison; Janvier, Philippe (10 March 2017). "Pectoral Morphology in Doliodus : Bridging the 'Acanthodian'-Chondrichthyan Divide". American Museum Novitates (3875): 1–15. doi:10.1206/3875.1. S2CID 44127090.