Bothriolepis

Bothriolepis Temporal range: Late Devonian ~387–360 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Model of B. canadensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Placodermi
Order:	Antiarchi
Family:	Bothriolepididae
Genus:	Bothriolepis Eichwald, 1840
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 (Greek: "pitted scale" or "trench scale") is a widespread, abundant and diverse genus of antiarch placoderms, that lived during the Middle to Late Devonian period of the Paleozoic Era. Historically, Bothriolepis resided in an array of paleo-environments spread across every paleocontinent, including near shore marine and freshwater settings. Most species of Bothriolepis were characterized as relatively small, benthic, freshwater detritivores (organisms that obtain nutrients by consuming decomposing plant/animal material), averaging around 30 centimetres (12 in) in length. However, the largest species, B. maxima, had a carapace about 100 centimetres (39 in) in length. Although expansive with over 60 species found worldwide, comparatively Bothriolepis is not unusually more diverse than most modern bottom dwelling species around today.

Bothriolepis is a genus placed within the placoderm order Antiarchi. The earliest antiarch placoderms first appeared in the Silurian period of the Paleozoic Era and could be found distributed on every paleocontinent by the Devonian period. The earliest members of Bothriolepis appear by the Middle Devonian. Antiarchs, as well as other placoderms, are morphologically diverse and are characterized by bony plates that cover their head and the anterior part of the trunk. Early ontogenetic stages of placoderms had thinner bony plates within both the head and trunk-shield, which allowed for easy distinction between early placoderm ontogenetic stages within the fossil record and taxa that possessed fully developed bony plates but were small by characterization. Placoderm bony plates were generally made up of three layers, including a compact basal lamellar bony layer, a middle spongy bony layer and a superficial layer;Bothriolepis can be classified as a placoderm since it possesses these layers. Placoderms were extinct by the end of the Devonian. Placodermi is a paraphyletic group of the clade Gnathostomata, which includes all jawed vertebrates. It is unclear exactly when gnathostomes emerged, but the scant early fossil record indicates that it was sometime in the Early Palaeozoic era. The last species of Bothriolepis died out, together with the rest of Placodermi, at the end of the Devonian period.