A new birkeniid anaspid, Cowielepis ritchiei gen. et sp. nov., from the mid Silurian Cowie Harbour fish bed in Scotland is described on the basis of three specimens. Although sharing characters with various well-known anaspids, it possesses a unique combination of features that justifies the establishment of a new genus. Cowielepis is characterized by a single row of dorsolateral scales and a distinctive skull roof pattern with a large pineal plate and elongated posterior plates. The presence of paired ventrolateral fins in C. ritchiei supports previous suggestions that all anaspids possess such fins, but leaves open the question of homology with the gnathostome pectoral fin.