The fossil of the 420 million-year-old Sparalepis tingi [Photo provided to Xinhua by Zhu Min]

The fossil of an ancient fish species dating back to 420 million years ago was found recently by Chinese scientists in Qujing city of Yunnan province, Xinhua News Agency reports.

The fossil of Sparalepis tingi (up) and restoration drawing of the fish [Photo provided to Xinhua by Zhu Min]

The fish, called Sparalepis tingi, is about 20 centimeters long, and has unusual scales like a suit of armor. It shows that the earth may have entered the "Age of Fishes" in the latter part of the Silurian Period (443.7 - 419.2 million years ago), instead of the popularly accepted Devonian Period (419.2 - 358.9 million years ago).

Life restoration of Sparalepis tingi (front) [Photo provided to Xinhua by Zhu Min]

The discovery was published on Wednesday in the open-access journal PLOS ONE. Zhu Min, author of the article and a researcher from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the discovery offered new fossil evidence for exploring the early diversification for the jawed vertebrates and the origin of bony fishes.