A new genus and two new species of groenlandaspidid arthrodire (Pisces: Placodermi) from the Early-Middle Devonian Mulga Downs Group of western New South Wales, Australia

The Merrimerriwa Formation of the Devonian Mulga Downs Group o f western New South Wales (NSW), Australia, contains locally rich, dissociated fish remains dominated by an endemic placoderm, Wuttagoonaspis, an aberrant arthrodire whose relationships are still uncertain. The Wuttagoonaspis fauna of western NSW is now believed to be early Eifelian in age. Associated with Wuttagoonaspis in NSW are various actinolepid and phlyctaeniid arthrodires which include a new taxon, l'vfulgaspis gen. nov., described here. Mulgaspis shares many characters with Early Devonian phlyctaeniid arthodires such as Dicksonosteus and Arctolepis, and other characters with the cosmopolitan Late Devonian arthrodiran genus, Groenlandaspis. Mulgaspis gen. nov., interpreted here as a member of the Groenlandaspididae, provides a morphological !ink between Early DeYonian phlyctaeniid arthrodires and Groen/andaspis sensu stricto.