Eurypterids
Fossil range: Cambrian-Permian |
| | Conservation status | | | | Scientific classification | | | | Orders | | †Stylonuroidea Diener, 1924
†Eurypteroidea Burmeister, 1843 The Cambrian is a major division of the geologic timescale that begins about 542 ± 1. ...
The Permian is a geologic period that extends from about 299. ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 370 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (837 × 1356 pixel, file size: 123 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Eurypterid. ...
Ernst Haeckel. ...
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kunstformen der Natur Kunstformen der Natur (Artforms of Nature) is a book of lithographic prints by German biologist Ernst Haeckel. ...
The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ...
Three small ammonite fossils, each approximately 1. ...
Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ...
Animalia redirects here. ...
Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - spiders,scorpions, etc. ...
Classes Arachnida- spiders, scorpions, etc. ...
Scientific classification or biological classification refers to how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ...
| The eurypterids (sea scorpion) were the largest known arthropods that ever lived (with the possible exception of the Arthropleurids). They are members of the extinct class Eurypterida (Arachnomorpha, Chelicerata) and predate the earliest fishes. The largest, such as Pterygotus, reached 2 m or more in length, but most species were less than 20 cm. They were formidable predators that thrived in warm shallow water in the Cambrian to Permian from 510 to 248 million years ago. Although called "sea scorpions", only the earliest ones were marine (most lived in brackish or freshwater), and they were not true scorpions. The move from the sea to fresh water probably occurred by the Pennsylvanian period. Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - spiders,scorpions, etc. ...
This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
Arachnomorpha Lameere 1890 is a subdivision of Arthropoda, containing the monophyletic group formed by the trilobites and the chelicerates. ...
Classes Arachnida- spiders, scorpions, etc. ...
Pterygotus was the largest eurypterid, or sea scorpion. ...
The metre, or meter (U.S.), is a measure of length. ...
A centimetre (American spelling centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of length that is equal to one hundredth of a metre, the current SI base unit of length. ...
The Cambrian is a major division of the geologic timescale that begins about 542 ± 1. ...
The Permian is a geologic period that extends from about 299. ...
Superfamilies Pseudochactoidea Buthoidea Chaeriloidea Chactoidea Iuroidea Scorpionoidea See classification for families. ...
The Pennsylvanian was also an Amtrak line until November 1, 2004. ...
Eurypterus is perhaps the most well-known genus of eurypterid, of which 200 fossil species are known. The genus Eurypterus was created in 1825 by James Ellsworth DeKay, a zoologist. He recognized the arthropod nature of the first ever described eurypterid specimen found by Dr. S. L. Mitchell. In 1984, Eurypterus remipes was named the State Fossil of New York. James Ellsworth De Kay (alternatively spelled DeKay or Dekay) (October 12, 1792-November 21, 1851) was an American zoologist. ...
Though every state in the United States has a State Bird and a State Flower, not every state in the United States has a State Fossil. ...
Body structure The typical eurypterid had a large, flat, semicircular carapace, followed by a jointed section, and finally a tapering, flexible tail, with a long spine at the end. Behind the head of the eurypterids were twelve body segments. These segments are formed by a dorsal plate called tergite, and a ventral plate called sternite. The tail, which is spiked, and in some species may have been used to inject venom, like in modern scorpions, is known as the telson. Some eurypterids have paddles, which were used to propel themselves through water. Some argue that the paddles were also used for digging. Underneath, in addition to the pair of swimming appendages the creature had 4 pairs of jointed legs for walking, and two small claws at the front, chelicerae. Other features, common to ancient and modern arthropods of this type, include one pair of compound eyes and a pair of smaller eyes called ocelli. A tergum (pl. ...
The sternum (pl. ...
Superfamilies Pseudochactoidea Buthoidea Chaeriloidea Chactoidea Iuroidea Scorpionoidea See classification for families. ...
The telson is the last division of the body of a crustacean. ...
An insect leg The arthropod leg is a form of jointed appendage of arthropods, usually used for walking. ...
1 entry found for chelicerae. ...
Compound eye of a dragonfly Compound eye of Antarctic krill as imaged by an electron microscope A compound eye is a visual organ found in certain arthropods such as insects and crustaceans. ...
Ocelli is one of the types of photoreceptor organs in animals. ...
Although many eurypterids had legs too tiny to do more than allow them to crawl over the sea bottom, a number of forms had large stout legs, and were clearly capable of terrestrial locomotion (like land crabs today). While functional studies suggest that eurypterids used out-of-phase walking techniques, their trackways indicate that they used in-phase, hexapodous (six-legged) and octopodous (eight-legged) gaits. Some species may have been amphibious, emerging onto land for at least part of their life cycle. They may have been capable of breathing both in water and in air.
The largest speicias of sea-scorpion was Pterygotus, an arthropod the size of a crocodile.Fossils of Pterygotus are relativeely common although complete skeletons are rare. They may had preyed on Brontoscorpio and Cephalaspis. At 2.8 metres long, they are the largest Arthropod ever to have lived. Their fossils have been found Worldwide, except Antartica. Giant preadatory fish, such as Hyneria, Stethacanthus and Dunkleosteus.
Eurypterid fossils Eurypterid fossils have been found on nearly every continent. Eurypterid fossils are routinely found at Ridgemount Quarry, in Fort Erie, Ontario Canada. A commercial eurypterid quarry has been open for several years in Mohawk, New York.
Among the largest eurypterids are the Hibbertopterina, named after the British palaeontolgist S. Hibbert, who described Hibbertopterus scouleri at a limestone quarry in East Kirkton, Scotland, in 1836. Fossil tracks (a form of trace fossil) were identified recently in East Lothian, Scotland, as made by a 1.6-meter-long Hibbertopterus (Whyte, 2005). The hibbertopterina were a family of large, spiny-skinned invertebrates living during the Devonian and Permian eras, named for palaeontologist S. Hibbert. ...
Hibbertopterus is a genus of giant sea scorpions (class Eurypterida) extinct 250 million years ago, thought to have inhabited the swamps of Scotland. ...
A fossilized dinosaur footprint at Clayton Lake State Park, New Mexico. ...
East Lothian (Lodainn an Ear in Gaelic) is one of 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. ...
Hibbertopterus is a genus of giant sea scorpions (class Eurypterida) extinct 250 million years ago, thought to have inhabited the swamps of Scotland. ...
Eurypterids are related to the modern marine horseshoe crabs and land scorpions. About two dozen families of eurypterids are known. They went extinct in the Permian-Triassic extinction event 248 million years ago (m.y.a.). Binomial name Limulus polyphemus The horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) also known as King Crab, is an arthropod that is more closely related to spiders than crabs. ...
Superfamilies Pseudochactoidea Buthoidea Chaeriloidea Chactoidea Iuroidea Scorpionoidea See classification for families. ...
The Permian-Triassic (P-T or PT) extinction event, sometimes informally called the Great Dying, was an extinction event that occurred approximately 251 million years ago (mya), forming the boundary between the Permian and Triassic geologic periods. ...
Mya has more than one meaning: Mýa, an American R&B singer and actress mya (unit), an abbreviation for million years ago, used as a unit of time in astronomy and geology The ISO 639 alpha-3 code for the Burmese language (mya) The IOC, license plate, and UNDP...
Classification by Tollerton, 1989 There are more than 300 identified species of the extinct sea scorpions. They have been classified by Tollerton (1989) and others in more than 60 genera and in about 20 families: In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biodiversity. ...
For other uses of the word, please see Genus (disambiguation). ...
Glyptoscorpioidae
- Glyptoscorpiidae
- Belinuropsidae
Slimonioidea Hughmillerioidea Slimonia is a genus of Silurian eurypterid closely related to the infamous Pterygotus. ...
- Hughmilleriidae
- Hastimima
- Hughmilleria
- H. socialis
- H. norvegica
- H. bellistriata
- Salteropterus
- Grossopterus
- Lepidoderma
- L. mansfieldi
- L. mazonense
- Carcinosomatidae
- Carcinosoma
- C. newlini
- C. vaningeni
- C. scorpionis
- Adelophthalmidae
- Adelophthalmus
- Lepidoderma
Mixopteroidea - Mixopteridae
- Mixopterus
- M. multispinosus
- M. kiaeri
- Lanarkopteridae
Megalograptoidea Eurypteroidea Megalograptus is a four-foot long Ordovician eurypterid, and was among the earliest known genera. ...
- Eurypteridae
- Eurypterus
- E. clevelandi
- E. cestrotus
- E. remipes
- E. fischeri
- E. kokomoensis
- E. boyli
- E. ? abbreviatus
- E.? overathi
- Onychopterella
- Tylopterella
- Dolichopteridae
- Dolichopterus
- Strobilopterus
- Erieopteridae
Stylonuroidea Orders many, all extinct The eurypterids were the largest known arthropods that ever lived. ...
- Stylonuridae
- Stylonurus
- S. powriei
- S. dolichopteroides
- S. logani
- S. macrophthalmus
- S. scoticus
- S.? multispinosus
- Drepanopterus
- D. pentlandicus
- D. longicaudatus
- Brachyopterus
- B. stubblefieldi
- B. pentagonalis
- Ctenopterus
- Tarsopterella
- Melbournopterus
- Campulocephalus
Dolichocephala - Claypolidae (?)
- Drepanopteridae
- Parastylonuridae
- Laurieipteridae
Kokomopteroidea Claypole was a rural district in Lincolnshire, Parts of Kesteven from 1894 to 1931. ...
- Kokomopteridae
- Hardieopteridae
Brachyopterelloidea Rhenopteroidea Mycopteropoidea - Mycteropidae
- Woodwardopteridae
Pterygotoidea - Jaekelopteridae
- Pterygotidae
- Pterygotus
- P. (P.) rhenaniae
- P. (P.) anglicus
- P. (A.) buffaloensis
- P. (A.) bohemicus
- P. (P.) osiliensis
- P. (P.) bilobus
- Acutiramus
- Erettopterus
- Himantopterus
Incertae sedis (phylogeneticly troublesome) Pterygotus was the largest eurypterid, or sea scorpion. ...
Incertae sedis—of uncertain position (seat)—is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. ...
A phylogeny (or phylogenesis) is the origin and evolution of a set of organisms, usually of a species. ...
- Willwerathia
- Tylopterella
- Tarsopterella
- Pittsfordipterus
- Dorfopterus
- Melbournopterus
- Hallipterus
- Megarachne
- Palmichnium
- Waeringoopterus
Binomial name Megarachne servinei Megarachne servinei was a small Upper Carboniferous (= Pennsylvanian) eurypterid found near Córdoba, Argentina. ...
See also Hibbertopterus is a genus of giant sea scorpions (class Eurypterida) extinct 250 million years ago, thought to have inhabited the swamps of Scotland. ...
References - Ciurca, Samuel J. (1998). The Silurian Eurypterid Fauna (http://www.eurypterid.net/ ). Retrieved July 25, 2004.
- Clarke, John M. & Rudolf R. The Eurypterida of New York. Albany: New York State Education Department, 1912.
- Whyte, Martin A. "Palaeoecology: A gigantic fossil arthropod trackway". Nature 438, 576-576 (01 December 2005).
External links Life-like reconstruction of a eurypterid, photo[1] |
Feeds |
Contact