Oldest species of Peltoperleidus of 244 million years ago found in China

Photo taken on Oct. 26, 2021 shows Xu Guanghui, researcher in Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Chinese Academy of Sciences, introducing the fossil specimen of the oldest species of Peltoperleidus. (Photo: China News Service/Sun Zifa)

A new species of the genus, Peltoperleidus asiaticus sp. nov., was discovered based on three 244-million-year-old specimens from the Triassic Marine strata in Luoping, Yunnan province. The discovery extends the geological range of Peltoperleidus by approximately two million years.