The Early Devonian acanthodian Euthacanthus macnicoli Powrie, 1864 from the Midland Valley of Scotland Michael J. NEWMAN Vine Lodge, Vine Road, Johnston, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, SA62 3NZ (United Kingdom)
[email protected] Carole J. BURROW Ancient Environments, Queensland Museum, 122 Gerler Road, Hendra 4011, Queensland (Australia)
[email protected] Jan L. DEN BLAAUWEN University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH, Amsterdam (Netherlands)
[email protected] Robert G. DAVIDSON 35 Millside Road, Peterculter, Aberdeen, AB14 0WG (United Kingdom)
[email protected] Newman M. J., Burrow C. J., Den Blaauwen J. L. & Davidson R. G. 2014. — The Early Devo- nian acanthodian Euthacanthus macnicoli Powrie, 1864 from the Midland Valley of Scotland. Geodiversitas 36 (3): 321-348. http://dx.doi.org/10.5252/g2014n3a1 ABSTRACT The five species of genus Euthacanthus Powrie, 1864 are reduced to two spe- cies on morphological and stratigraphical evidence. Euthacanthus macnicoli Powrie, 1864 and Euthacanthus grandis Powrie, 1870 are here synonymised in the type species E. macnicoli Powrie, 1864. In a previous article, Eutha canthus gracilis Powrie, 1870 and Euthacanthus elegans Powrie, 1870 were combined in the species E. gracilis, and the fifth species, Euthacanthus curtus Powrie, 1870, was reassigned to Uraniacanthus curtus (Powrie, 1870). In this work, we give an in-depth study of the full range of morphological and his- tological structure of scales over the body of E. macnicoli, as well as of fin KEY WORDS Lochkovian, spine structure. Our study reveals new features of E. macnicoli, including Acanthodii, a large ornamented dorsal sclerotic bone, ornament on the branchiostegal Euthacanthidae, plates, a separate series of gular rays, calcified cartilage forming the jaws, Euthacanthus, scale histology, and a postbranchial protruding spinose plate rather than the flat prepectoral fin spine histology.