Aspidontia

## Taxonomy

Anthostoma

Gastrozoa

Tentaclostoma

Neostoma

Lophostoma

Diplostoma

Stenostraca

Coleostraca

Elastospondyli

Archelastospondyli

Kentrodontia

**Aspidontia**

**Aspidontia** (lit. "stinging teeth") is a clade of kentrodonts specialized for catching flying prey.

## Description

Like all kentrodonts, aspidonts are venomous arboreal ambush predators found in the crowded canopy of the rainforest. Aspidonts specialize in hunting flying animals, such as opisthopterans and pleuropterans.

To catch prey, an aspidont will lie in wait, with its hind limbs gripping the underside of a branch and its forelimbs gripped to its hind section, bending its spine into a tight curve. Once anything flies below, the aspidont will release and strike with a venomous bite, restraining its prey with its powerful forelimbs while the venom takes effect.

At around sixty centimeters long, aspidonts are the largest observed archelastospondyls; this offers them a considerable prey-snatching range.

One of the first aspidont species to evolve was *Kremarapax mckinleyi*.

## Navigation

* **Anthostoma**
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													+ *Erythrerpeton lequiori*†
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										+ Eudesmostracidae
											- Eudesmostracinae
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											- Pronocanthidae†
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									* Archelastospondyli
										+ Archelastospondylidae
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											- Eukentrodontia
												* Archekentrodontia
													+ Archekentrodontidae
													+ Neokentrodontia
														- Trypophora
														- Deinoglossidae
												* Phyllophora†
											- **Aspidontia**†
												* *Kremarapax mckinleyi*†
									* Opisthoptera
										+ *Eopteryx emmetti*
										+ Archeopisthoptera
											- Latoptera
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													+ *Corvimimus corvusamousi*
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													+ *Skotalatus rauli*†
												* Dyptopterida†
													+ *Tachynectes jocomoli*†
					- Malacoformes
						* Echinostoma
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							+ *unspecified*
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								- *unspecified*
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								- *unspecified*
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								- Isognatha
									* Myzognatha
										+ *Vitapatatoria aspiana*
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* **Polypodia**
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							+ Archeplatydontidae
								- *unspecified*
									* Archeplatydontinae
										+ *Dendronomus vasquezi*
									* Xenodontia†
										+ Brachiocephalia†
										+ Euxenodontia†
											- Streptotarsi†
											- Archexenodontia†
								- Neoplatydontia
									* Pleuroptera
										+ Archepleuroptera
											- Archepleuropteridae†
												* *Anthonomos qbelocki*†
											- Platyptera
												* *Sphenorhynchus sullivanae*
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														- *Charcharonyx mackrethi*†
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										+ *Pycnothrix dicksoni*†
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											- Corythobrachidae†
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													+ *Cyanolophus mcgyveri*†
											- Archeallobrachidae†
												* Archeallobrachinae†
													+ *Melanothrix oneiropolos*†
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										+ Teleobrachidae†
											- *Therizinyx elliotti†*
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									* Archeurycheirinae†
										+ *Prolestes solysti*†
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										+ *Teratocheuirus philipi*†
								- Lystrocheiridae
									* Lystrocheirinae
										+ *Psammonyx deschaini*
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											- Eurhamphodontia
												* Archeramphodontia
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																			+ Archeglyphonychidae
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													+ Euacrocheiridae
														- Archeacrocheiridae
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															* Heterognatha
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																	- Thaumatotheriidae
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																	- Archethrinaxorhynchidae
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											- Oryctocheiridae
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								- *Dromovenator setnovi*†
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								- Euonychodontidae†
									* Ensidontia†
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										+ Prionodontia†
									* Euonychodontinae†
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											- *Raptonyx junae*†
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							+ Allodontia
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									* Archallodontia†
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										+ *Leucothrix caliburi*†
									* Amphidontia
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										+ Xenopsidae
											- *polylophodon thomasi*
											- Archexenopsidae
												* Archexenopsinae
												* Euxenopsidae
													+ Ankistrobrachidae
													+ Neoxenopsidae
														- Teleopsidae
														- Chelaphora
															* Stenochelaphora
															* Pachychelaphora
											- Stenopsidae
												* File:StenopsidaeEvo.pngArchestenopsidae
												* Neostenopsidae
													+ Peloropsidae
														- Archepeloropsidae
														- Anaxotheriidae
													+ Ceratodontia
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															* Aratrodontia
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																+ Kophodontidae
																+ Elaphrodontia
																	- Archelaphrodontia
																	- Neoelaphrodontia
																		* Spathodontia
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					- Megalobrachidae†
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								- Euprocerapoda†
									* *Megaphagus matti*†
								- Stylopoda†
									* *Hybotitan bluenoti*†
							+ Baropoda†
								- Eubaropoda†
									* *Nanopus proximensis*†
									* Eubaropodidae†
								- Pachypoda†
					- Deinognatha
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							+ Eudeinognathidae†
								- *Euoplos gulielmi*†
							+ Malleognatha†
						* Odontognatha
							+ Trachygnatha†
								- *Telmarchos krisi*†
							+ Dolichognatha
								- Eudolichognatha
									* Archedolichognatha†
									* Hybognatha
								- Pelagotheria†
									* Actatheria†
										+ *Eurypus geberi*†
									* Thalattotheria†
										+ Isopterygia†
										+ Anisopterygia†
											- *Pontodrakon nicholsi*†

* **Chemophyta**
	+ Archaeophyta
	+ Xenophyta
		- Caulophyta
			* Neocaulophyta
				+ Eucaulophyta
					- Eucaulophytaceae
						* Eucaulophytoideae
						* Nothodendrales†
					- Reptophyta
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					- Archebrachyphyta
						* Eubrachyphyta
							+ Eubrachyphytaceae
							+ Desmophyta
								- Carnophyta†
								- Chromatophyta
									* Archechromatophyta
										+ Archechromatophytacea
										+ Aphyllophyta
									* Zygophyta
										+ Zygophytacea
											- Zygodendrales
											- Archezygophytacea
										+ Harpactophyta†
						* Tylophyta
					- Cryptophyta
						* Eucryptophyta
						* Pagophyta
			* Necrophyta
		- Xylophyta
			* Euxylophyta
				+ Archexylophyta
					- Archexylophytacaea
					- Coelophyta
				+ Nodophyta
			* Altiphyta†
				+ *Trilobophyllus axidenti*†

 † = Extinct