Bothriolepis

Bothriolepis is a genus of antiarch placoderms. It was widespread and diverse in the middle to late Devonian.

Bothriolepis Temporal range: Late Devonian ~
Model of B. canadensis
Scientific classification
Unrecognized taxon (fix):	Bothriolepis
Species
Holotype: B. ornata Eichwald, 1840 B. africana Long et al., 1997 B. alexi Young, 1988 B. alvesiensis Stensio, 1948 B. amankonyrica Malinovskaja, 1988 B. antarctica Woodward, 1921 B. askinae Young, 1988 B. babichevi Malinovskaja, 1992 B. barretti Young, 1988 B. bindareii Long, 1983 B. canadensis Whiteaves, 1880 B. cellulosa Pander, 1846 B. ciecere Lyarskaja, 1974 B. coloradensis Eastman, 1904 B. cristata Traquair, 1895 B. cullodenensis Long, 1983 B. darbiensis Denison, 1951 B. dorakarasugensis Moloshnikov, 2009 B. evaldi Lyarskaja, 1986 B. favosa Agassiz, 1844 B. fergusoni Long, 1983 B. gigantea Traquair, 1888 B. gippslandiensis Hills, 1929 B. grenfellensis Johanson, 1996 B. groenlandica Heintz, 1930 B. hayi Miles, 1968 B. heckeri Luksevics, 2001 B. hicklingi Miles, 1968 B. hydrophila Agassiz, 1844 B. jani Luksevics, 1986 B. jarviki Stensio, 1948 B. jazwicensis Szrek, 2004 B. jeremijevi B. karawaka Young, 1988 B. kassini Malinovskaja, 1988 B. kohni Young, 1988 B. kwangtungensis Pan, 1964 B. laverocklochensis Miles, 1968 B. leptocheira Traquair, 1893 B. lochangensis Pan, 1964 B. lohesti Leriche, 1931 B. macphersoni Young, 1988 B. macrocephala Egerton, 1862 B. maeandrina B. markovskii Moloshnikov, 2010 B. mawsoni Young, 1988 B. maxima Gross, 1933 B. meandrina Horrmann, 1911 B. minor Newberry, 1889 B. nielseni Stensio, 1948 B. nikitinae Malinovskaja, 1988 B. nitida Leidy, 1856 B. niushoushanensis Pan & Wang, 1980 B. obesa Traquair, 1888 B. obrutschewi Gross, 1934 B. ornata Andrews, 1982 B. panderi Lahusen, 1880 B. paradoxa Agassiz, 1845 B. pavariensis Lyarskaja, 1974 B. perija Young & Moody, 2002 B. portalensis Young, 1988 B. prima Gross, 1934 B. rex Downs et al., 2016 B. sanzarensis Moloshnikov, 2010 B. shaokuanensis Liu, 1963 B. sibrica Obruchev, 1941 B. sinensis Chi, 1940 B. sosnensis Moloshnikov, 2003 B. stevensoni Miles, 1968 B. tastenica Malinovskaja, 1988 B. tatongensis Long & Werdelin, 1985 B. taylori Miles, 1968 B. traquairi Bryant, 1924 B. trautscholdi Jaekel, 1927 B. tungseni Chang, 1965 B. turanica Obruchev, 1939 B. verrucosa Young & Gorter, 1981 B. virginiensis Weems et al., 1981 B. volongensis Lyarskaja & Luksevics, 1998 B. vuwae Young, 1988 B. warreni Long, 1983 B. wilsoni Miles, 1968 B. yeungae Johanson, 1998 B. yunnanensis Liu, 1962 B. zadonica Obrucheva, 1983

Bothriolepis lived in environments across every continent including near-shore marine and freshwater settings. Most species of Bothriolepis were small, benthic, freshwater detritivores. They got nutrients by eating decomposing plant/animal material. They were about 30 centimetres (12 in) in length. However, the largest species, B. maxima, had a carapace about 100 centimetres (39 in) in length.

Over 70 species are found across the world, but this is also typical of modern bottom dwelling species around today.

Bothriolepis Media

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  B. canadensis fossil in the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago

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  Life restoration of B. canadensis based on Béchard et al. (2014), showing single dorsal fin and no pelvic fins

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  Bothriolepis canadensis fossil at Musée des Confluences.

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  Paleogeography during the Middle Devonian (380 Ma)By Stampfli & Borel, 2000

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  Bothriolepis canadensis. Late Devonian, Escuminac Formation, Quebec (Canada). At the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology.

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  B. canadensis preserved with Scaumenacia cyrta, a prehistoric sarcopterygian

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  Small (armor length 6 cm) specimen of B. africana.

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  B. panderi fossil from Russia

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  B. tungseni from China