Archipelepis is a genus of extinct thelodont agnathans, and are the most primitive recognized thelodonts of which whole body fossils are known.Wilson, Mark VH, and Tiiu Märss. "Thelodont phylogeny revisited, with inclusion of key scale-based taxa." Estonian Journal of Earth Sciences 58.4 (2009): 297œ310. Fossils of bodies and scales are currently known from Late Telychian to Wenlock-aged marine strata of northern Canada.Soehn, K. L., Märss, T., Caldwell, M. W. & Wilson, M. V. H., 2001: New and biostratigraphically useful thelodonts from the Silurian of the Mackenzie Mountains, Northwest Territories, Canada. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 21: 651-659
Description Both species have similar body morphology, in that both resembled tadpoles with forked tails. Scale morphology differs in that A. bifurcata has forked scales with two prong-like spires, and that A. turbinata has bulbous, pointed scales that resemble upside-down spinning tops.
The scales of Archipelepis are robust and abrasion-resistant, similar to modern sharks which live among rough substrates such as rocky caves or reefs.
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