OX SOME DINICHTHYID ARMOR PLATES 

 FROM THE MARCELLUS SHALE 



BURNETT SMITH 

 Syracuse University 



Introduction 



Though Devonian beds in many parts of the world fre- 

 quently furnish an abundance of piscine fossils, this is 

 not the case with their cotemporaneous deposits of the 

 state of New York. In this region every bit of evidence 

 which may add to our knowledge of the anatomy, geo- 

 graphical distribution and geological range of the 

 Devonian members of the class may at any time become 

 of interest, for amid profuse invertebrate faunas the fish 

 remains are usually rare, inconspicuous and fragmentary. 



It is, therefore, believed that a recent find of the com- 

 plete ventral armor 1 (together with some other bones) 

 of a small species of Dinichthys is worthy of some notice 

 in spite of the fact that the preservation leaves much to 

 be desired and also that any interpretations based on the 

 material are apt to prove untenable when more complete 

 and more perfectly preserved specimens are brought to 

 light. 



Description of the Figures 

 The specimen in question came from the concretion 

 zone of the Marcellus Shale in the vicinity of Syracuse, 

 N. Y., and was collected by the writer in the summer of 

 1908. Its geological horizon is not determinable with 

 absolute certainty, but it lies not far (within fifteen feet 

 at most) above the top of the Agoniatites Limestone, 

 which in this section is itself confined to the lower fifteen 



1 The writer must express his indebtedness to Dr. Louis Hussakof and to 

 Dr. Charles E. Eastman, both of whom generously examined the photo- 

 graphs of this specimen and gave him invaluable assistance in the inter- 

 pretation of its osteology. 



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