Eurypteroidea

Eurypteroidea
Temporal range: Late Ordovician–Devonian
Fossil of Eurypterus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Order: Eurypterida
Suborder: Eurypterina
Superfamily: Eurypteroidea
Burmeister, 1843
Families

Eurypteroidea are an extinct superfamily of eurypterids. It contains three families (Dolichopteridae, Eurypteridae, Strobilopteridae) and two genera of uncertain classification, Paraeurypterus and Pentlandopterus.[1]

Description

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Eurypteroidea, which lived from the Ordovician to Devonian periods, were characterized by their last pair of prosomal (head) appendages, which were developed as swimming legs, carrying paddles formed by the expansion of the two penultimate joints.[2]

Families

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References

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  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, P30. as Eurypteracea