Qilinyu

Qilinyu Temporal range: Late Ludfordian, 423 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Artist's restoration
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	†Placodermi
Order:	†incertae sedis
Genus:	†Qilinyu Zhu et al., 2016
Species:	†Q. rostrata
Binomial name
†Qilinyu rostrata Zhu et al., 2016

Qilinyu is a genus of early placoderm from the late Silurian (late Ludfordian stage, ~423 Ma) of China. It contains a single species, Qilinyu rostrata, from the Xiaoxiang fauna of the Kuanti Formation. Along with its contemporary Entelognathus, Qilinyu is an unusual placoderm showing some traits more similar to bony fish, such as dermal jaw bones and lobe-like fins. It can be characterized by adaptations for a benthic lifestyle, with the mouth and nostrils on the underside of the head, similar to the unrelated antiarch placoderms. The shape of the skull has been described as "dolphin-like", with a domed cranium and a short projecting rostrum.^[1]