Brachyopterus

Brachyopterus
Temporal range: Middle Ordovician
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Merostomata
Order: Eurypterida
Superfamily: Rhenopteroidea
Family: Rhenopteridae
Genus: Brachyopterus
Størmer, 1951
Type species
Brachyopterus stubblefieldi
Størmer, 1951

Brachyopterus is a genus of prehistoric eurypterid of the family Rhenopteridae.

Description

Brachyopterus is distinguished by its small size, compound eyes with axes converging anteriorly on a subtrapezoid to subpentagonal prosoma (head). All of its legs are walking legs; the first three pairs are short with spines, except when modified into clasping organs; the last two pairs are moderately long, keeled and tapering in width to terminal claws. The last leg falls short of the penultimate abdominal segment. The abdomen is narrow and ends in a short styliform telson. Brachyopterus date from the Middle Ordovician.[1]

Taxonomy

The genus contains only one species:

References

  1. Størmer, L. 1955. Merostomata. Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part P Arthropoda 2, Chelicerata, pp. 36–37.

See also

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