Onychodus is a genus of prehistoric lobe-finned fish which lived during the Devonian Period. It is one of the best known of the group of onychodontiform fishes. Scattered fossil teeth of Onychodus were first described from Ohio in 1857 by John Strong Newberry. Other species were found in Australia, England, Norway and Germany showing that it had a widespread range.
Lower jaw and teeth of O. sigmoides
Phylogenetic position of Onychodus in lobe-finned fishes, representing the Onychodontiformes. From top to bottom: Dipnoi– Lungfishes, Porolepiformes– An order of lobe-finned fishes, Actinistia– Coelacanths, higher-Sarcopterygii– More derived forms of lobe-finned fishes.
Tooth whorl from Seneca Stone Quarry
Restoration of O. sigmoides
The Gogo Formation in the Kimberley region of Western Australia is a Lagerstätte that exhibits exceptional preservation of a Devonian reef community. The formation is named after Gogo Station, a cattle station where outcrops appear and fossils are often collected from, as is nearby Fossil Downs Station.
Image: Bruntonichthys multidens
Image: Campbellodus decipiens
Image: Camuropiscis species
Image: Fallacosteus turnerae