Tarsopterella

Tarsopterella is a genus of prehistoric eurypterid classified within the family Hardieopteridae. It contains only one species, T. scotica from the Lower Devonian of Scotland.[1]

Tarsopterella
Temporal range: Early Devonian, 416–409.1 Ma
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Order: Eurypterida
Superfamily: Kokomopteroidea
Family: Hardieopteridae
Genus: Tarsopterella
Størmer, 1951
Type species
Tarsopterella scotica
(Woodward, 1872)

Description

Tarsopterella is distinguished by its prosoma (head), which is subrectangular and slightly concave in front, with small compound eyes. Its abdomen has pronounced lateral epimera (marginal spines similar to those of horseshoe crabs). Tarsopterella dates from the Lower Devonian period.[2]

References

  1. Dunlop, J. A., Penney, D. & Jekel, D. 2015. A summary list of fossil spiders and their relatives. In World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch, version 16.0 http://www.wsc.nmbe.ch/resources/fossils/Fossils16.0.pdf (PDF).
  2. Størmer, L 1955. Merostomata. Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part P Arthropoda 2, Chelicerata, P38-P39.


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