Notably, the type species of Dunkleosteus was originally described as Dinichthys terrelli by Newberry in 1873, and was later separated into Dunkleosteus by Jean-Pierre Lehman in 1956.
The original designation of Dunkleosteus was predicated on a prior description, which subsequently resulted in its differentiation from another species, as recognized by Jean-Pierre Lehman in 1956.