Minjinia

Minjinia Temporal range:
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	†Placodermi
Order:	†incertae sedis
Genus:	†Minjinia Brazeau et al., 2020
Species:	†M. turgenensis
Binomial name
†Minjinia turgenensis Brazeau et al., 2020

Minjinia turgenensis is a species of placoderm from the Devonian of Mongolia. It is known from a single specimen preserving part of the skull, including remains of endochondral bone, which indicates that a mineralised endoskeleton evolved before the split between bony and cartilaginous fish, and that it was lost in the latter group.

Classification

In the phylogenetic analysis ran by Brazeau et al., M. turgenensis was found as the sister taxon of a clade formed by Entelognathus, Ramirosuarezia, Janusiscus and the crown gnathostomes. A cladogram simplified from their analysis is shown below:

	Galeaspida Osteostraci Gnathostomata Antiarchi Rhenanida Petalichthyida Ptyctodontida Arthrodira Minjinia Entelognathus Ramirosuarezia Janusiscus Eugnathostomata Chondrichthyes Osteichthyes