40 
J.A. Long 
the external form of the PDL (Figure 3B), would 
support a sister-group relationship to 
Groenlandaspis. 
The groenlandaspidid arthrodires range from the 
Early Devonian (Siegennian-Early Emsian) of 
Germany ( Tiaraspis subtilis) to the very end of the 
Devonian ( Groenlandaspis , Givetian-late Famennian, 
Antarctica, Australia, Middle East; Janvier and 
Ritchie 1977; Famennian of the East Greenland and 
Europe; Ritchie 1975), and possibly the Lower 
Carboniferous of Turkey (Janvier et ah 1984). The 
presence of several undescribed groenlandaspidids 
in the Early-Middle Devonian Mulga Downs 
Group of New South Wales and of several species 
of Groenlandaspis in the Givetian Aztec Siltstone (Dr 
A. Ritchie pers. comm. 1993) would suggest that 
the East Gondwana Province was a centre of 
radiation for the groenlandaspidids, immediately 
following the Gondwana origin for the group 
sometime in the Early Devonian (Germany may 
have then part of the northern margin of 
Gondwana; Young 1987a, 1987b). Although most 
groenlandaspidids occur in freshwater red-bed or 
alluvial sequences, the presence of one ADL plate 
of Groenlandaspis sp. (WAM 91.4.35) in the bedded 
marine limestones of the lower Frasnian Gneudna 
Formation, Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia, 
shows that the genus was capable of dispersal by 
marine routes. 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
Fieldwork in Antarctica over the 1991/92 season 
was funded through ASAC grant 136 to Long, and 
I thank the Trustees of the Western Australian 
Museum for their support of the Museum's 
involvement in the expedition. Sincere thanks to 
my colleagues in the field, Margaret Bradshaw, 
Fraka Harmsen and Brian Staite, for their 
assistance and support during the two months 
spent working in southern Victoria Land, and to 
Gavin Young (AGSO, Canberra) and Alex Ritchie 
(Australian Museum) for allowing me access to 
collections in their care and helpful discussion of 
the work. Gavin Young, Alex Ritchie and Philippe 
Janvier (Musee d'histoire naturelle, Paris) are 
thanked for critically reviewing the paper. Kris 
Brimmell is thanked for her fine photography of 
the specimens, and Kate Trinajstic for her help 
editing the manuscript. 
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