This list of fossil fish research presented in 2022 is a list of new fossil taxa of jawless vertebrates, placoderms, cartilaginous fishes, bony fishes, and other fishes that were described during the year, as well as other significant discoveries and events related to paleoichthyology that occurred in 2022.
Jawless vertebrates New jawless vertebrate taxa NameNoveltyStatusAuthorsAgeType localityLocationNotesImagesAenigmaspisGen. et sp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottSilurian (Wenlock)Cape Phillips Formation (Cornwallis Island)A member of Pteraspidomorphi. Genus includes new species A. falcata.Anjiaspis ericiusSp. novIn pressShan et al.Silurian (Telychian)Qingshui FormationA member of Eugaleaspidiformes.AnomalaspisGen. et sp. novThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of Traquairaspidiformes belonging to the family Traquairaspididae. Genus includes new species A. lacruma. The generic name is shared with Anomalaspis Brennan (1952).Archegonaspis cornwallisensisSp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Cyathaspididae.Arctictenaspis borealisSp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Ctenaspidae.Ariaspis cristataSp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Ariaspidae.Ariaspis majusculaSp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Ariaspidae.Ariaspis multijubataSp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Ariaspidae.Ariaspis nassichukiSp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Ariaspidae.Ariaspis perryiSp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Ariaspidae.Canadapteraspis formosaSp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Protopteraspididae.Canadapteraspis uniformisSp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Protopteraspididae.Corvaspis ellesmerensisSp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of Heterostraci belonging to the group Corvaspidiformes and the family Corvaspididae.Corvaspis porphyreticaSp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of Heterostraci belonging to the group Corvaspidiformes and the family Corvaspididae.Corvaspis woodwardiSp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of Heterostraci belonging to the group Corvaspidiformes and the family Corvaspididae.DenisonaspisGen. et sp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Protopteraspididae. Genus includes new species D. borea.Dinaspidella elegansSp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Cyathaspididae.Dinaspidella tenuicostataSp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Cyathaspididae.EumorphaspisGen. et comb. et 3 sp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Cyathaspididae. Genus includes E. borealis (Denison, 1963), as well as new species E. goodsiri, E. lata and E. solitaria.GeissonaspisGen. et sp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of Heterostraci belonging to the group Cyathaspidiformes. Genus includes new species G. mutabilis.GenetaspisGen. et sp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of Heterostraci belonging to the group Cyathaspidiformes and the family Jarvikaspididae. Genus includes new species G. incohata.HebeimyzonGen. et sp. novValidGuoEarly Cretaceous (Barremian–Aptian)Jiufotang FormationA lamprey. Genus includes new species H. weichangensis.IdanaspisGen. et 2 sp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of Heterostraci. Genus includes new species I. dimidiata and I. reinsoni.JarvikaspisGen. et 2 sp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of Heterostraci belonging to the group Cyathaspidiformes; the type genus of the new family Jarvikaspididae. Genus includes new species J. arctica and J. mauryensis.Jiangxialepis jiujiangensisSp. novIn pressShan, Zhao & GaiSilurian (Telychian)Qingshui FormationA member of Eugaleaspidiformes.KyphaspisGen. et sp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Cyathaspididae. Genus includes new species K. boothiaensis.Nahanniaspis mclintockiSp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Cyathaspididae.OrthogoniaspisGen. et 2 sp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of Heterostraci belonging to the group Weigeltaspidiformes and the family Weigeltaspididae. Genus includes new species O. magnijubata and O. loefflerae.ParalaspisGen. et sp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Cyathaspididae. Genus includes new species P. franklini.Pionaspis ebeninaSp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Cyathaspididae.Pionaspis rossiSp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Cyathaspididae.PrionotaspisGen. et 2 sp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Cyathaspididae. Genus includes new species P. miranda and possibly P? abbottensis.ProsobranchiaspisGen. et 2 sp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Cyathaspididae. Genus includes new species P. prolatata and P. smithbayensis.PseudoanglaspisGen. et 2 sp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Cyathaspididae. Genus includes new species P. aquilonaris and P. minima.QingshuiaspisGen. et sp. novIn pressShan et al.Silurian (Telychian)Qingshui FormationA member of Eugaleaspidiformes belonging to the family Shuyuidae. The type species is Q. junqingi.Rimasventeraspis? halsteadiSp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of Heterostraci belonging to the group Natlaspidiformes and the family Rimasventeraspididae.Rimasventeraspis? septentrionalisSp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of Heterostraci belonging to the group Natlaspidiformes and the family Rimasventeraspididae.SoehnaspisGen. et sp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of Heterostraci belonging to the group Cyathaspidiformes. Genus includes new species S. polaris.TeleaspisGen. et sp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Cyathaspididae. Genus includes new species T. tersa.ThuleaspisGen. et sp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of Heterostraci belonging to the group Cyathaspidiformes and the family Jarvikaspididae. Genus includes new species T. canadensis.ToraspisGen. et sp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of Heterostraci belonging to the group Weigeltaspidiformes; the type genus of the new family Toraspididae. Genus includes new species T. somersetensis.Traquairaspis longicarinataSp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of Traquairaspidiformes belonging to the family Traquairaspididae.Traquairaspis pristinaSp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of Traquairaspidiformes belonging to the family Traquairaspididae.TrygonaspisGen. et sp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Protopteraspididae. Genus includes new species T. sicula.TujiaaspisGen. et sp. novValidGai et al.Silurian (Telychian)Huixingshao FormationA member of Eugaleaspidiformes; the anatomy of its articulated remains indicates that galeaspids possessed three unpaired dorsal fins, an approximately symmetrical hypochordal tail and a pair of continuous ventrolateral fins. The type species is T. vividus.Vernonaspis magnaSp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Cyathaspididae.Vernonaspis parryiSp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Cyathaspididae.Vernonaspis suffuscaSp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of the family Cyathaspididae.WestollaspisGen. et 3 sp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of Heterostraci belonging to the group Corvaspidiformes; the type genus of the new family Westollaspididae. Genus includes new species W. hyperborea, W. cordata and W. gigas.WhiteaspisGen. et sp. novValidThorsteinsson & ElliottA member of Traquairaspidiformes belonging to the family Traquairaspididae. Genus includes new species W. spinifera.XitunaspisGen. et sp. novValidSun et al.Devonian (Lochkovian)Xitun FormationA member of Eugaleaspidiformes belonging to the family Eugaleaspidae. The type species is X. magnus.YongdongaspisGen. et sp. novValidChen et al.Silurian (Llandovery)Huixingshao FormationA member of Eugaleaspidiformes. Genus includes new species Y. littoralis.
Jawless vertebrate research A study on the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history of lampreys is published by Brownstein & Near (2022), who find Mesomyzon mengae to be a member of the lamprey crown group, and argue that living lamprey biodiversity results from diversifications extending from the Cretaceous to present, rather than gradually accumulating since the Paleozoic. Chevrinais et al. (2022) describe the ontogeny of Euphanerops longaevus. Meng et al. (2022) describe new fossil material of Pterogonaspis yuhaii from the Devonian Xujiachong Formation (Yunnan, China), providing new information on the cranial anatomy of this galeaspid, including the first fossil evidence for the position of the esophagus in galeaspids. The first detailed description of the complex of external endolymphatic structures in headshields of members of the genus Tremataspis from the Silurian of Estonia, with tiny platelets located within the openings of the endolymphatic duct and possibly functioning as a sieve that allowed or prevented material from entering the inner ear, is published by Märss, Wilson & Viljus (2022).
Placoderms New placoderm taxa NameNoveltyStatusAuthorsAgeType localityLocationNotesImagesAmazichthysGen. et sp. novValidJobbins et al.Devonian (Famennian)A member of the family Selenosteidae. The type species is A. trinajsticae.XiushanosteusGen. et sp. novValidZhu, Li, Ahlberg & Zhu in Zhu et al.Silurian (Telychian)Huixingshao FormationThe type species is X. mirabilis.
Placoderm research A study on the morphology and function of the antiarch jaw apparatus is published by Lebedev et al. (2022). Wang & Zhu (2022) describe the squamation and scale morphology of Parayunnanolepis xitunensis, recognize at least thirteen morphotypes of scales in P. xitunensis, and interpret their findings as indicative of the high regionalization of squamation at the root of jawed vertebrates. Zhu et al. (2022) redescribe the pelvic region of the holotype of Parayunnanolepis xitunensis, and report that, instead of having two large plates previously designated as dermal pelvic girdles, P. xitunensis had three pairs of lateral pelvic plates and one large oval median pelvic plate. Trinajstic et al. (2022) report preservation of a three-dimensionally mineralized heart, thick-walled stomach and bilobed liver from members of Arthrodira from the Devonian Gogo Formation (Australia), and interpret this finding as indicative of the presence of a flat S-shaped heart separated from the liver and other abdominal organs, and of the absence of lungs in members of Arthrodira; subsequently Jensen et al. (2023) question evidence of the presence of a chambered heart in the studied fossil material presented by Trinajstic et al. (2022).
Cartilaginous fishes New cartilaginous fish taxa