Zhongjianichthys
| Zhongjianichthys Temporal range: Cambrian Stage 3, | |
|---|---|
| Artist's reconstruction | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Order: | †Myllokunmingiida |
| Family: | †Myllokunmingiidae |
| Genus: | †Zhongjianichthys Shu, 2003 |
| Species: | †Z. rostratus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Zhongjianichthys rostratus Shu, 2003 | |
Zhongjianichthys rostratus is an extinct species basal chordate that lived in the Cambrian Period, approximately 518 million years ago, in what is now Southwest China. It is sometimes regarded as an early fish, and therefore as one of the first vertebrates in the global fossil record.
The genus name, Zhongjianichthys, is named after paleontologist Yang Zhongjian (1897-1979), who was widely honored as the "Father of Chinese Vertebrate Paleontology".