Angelacanthus

Angelacanthus; Temporal range: Famennian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Fossil of Angelacanthus
	Life restoration
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	†Acanthodii
Order:	†Diplacanthiformes
Family:	†Diplacanthidae
Genus:	†Angelacanthus; Gess and Burrow, 2025
Species:	†A. acus
Binomial name
	†Angelacanthus acus; (Gess, 2001)
Synonyms
	Diplacanthus acus Gess, 2001;

Angelacanthus acus (formerly Diplacanthus acus)^[1] is a species of Devonian acanthodian from the Waterloo Farm lagerstätte in South Africa. It is the only species in the genus Angelacanthus.

Description

Angelacanthus was described from a near complete whole-bodied impression discovered in 1999 during roadworks cutting the Waterloo Farm lagerstätte.^[2] The type specimen of Angelacanthus is approximately 100 mm long and has exceptionally long and thin ribbed spines. The intermediate spines are, conversely, extremely reduced.^[3] Unusually it preserves complete outlines of many of the fins.

References

^ Gess, Robert W.; Burrow, Carole J. (8 August 2025). "Acanthodian fauna of the Upper Devonian Waterloo Farm Lagerstätte, South Africa". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 0 (0): e2526538. doi:10.1080/02724634.2025.2526538.
^ Gess, Robert W. and Whitfield Alan K. (2020). "Estuarine fish and tetrapod evolution: Insights from a Late Devonian (Famennian) Gondwanan estuarine lake and a southern African Holocene equivalent". Biological Reviews. doi:10.1111/brv.12590. PMID 32059074
^ Gees, Robert W. (2001-01-01). "A new species of Diplacanthus from the Late Devonian (Famennian) of South Africa". Annales de Paléontologie. 87 (1): 49–60. doi:10.1016/S0753-3969(01)88002-2. ISSN 0753-3969.

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[angel-1] Gess, Robert W.; Burrow, Carole J. (8 August 2025). "Acanthodian fauna of the Upper Devonian Waterloo Farm Lagerstätte, South Africa". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 0 (0): e2526538. doi:10.1080/02724634.2025.2526538.

[2] Gess, Robert W. and Whitfield Alan K. (2020). "Estuarine fish and tetrapod evolution: Insights from a Late Devonian (Famennian) Gondwanan estuarine lake and a southern African Holocene equivalent". Biological Reviews. doi:10.1111/brv.12590. PMID 32059074

[:26-3] Gees, Robert W. (2001-01-01). "A new species of Diplacanthus from the Late Devonian (Famennian) of South Africa". Annales de Paléontologie. 87 (1): 49–60. doi:10.1016/S0753-3969(01)88002-2. ISSN 0753-3969.

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