Eurypteroidea Explained

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

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

• Order Eurypterida Burmeister, 1843
  • Suborder Eurypterina Burmeister, 1845
    • Superfamily Eurypteroidea Burmeister, 1845
      • Genus Paraeurypterus Lamsdell, Hoşgör & Selden, 2013
      • Genus Pentlandopterus Lamsdell, Hoşgör & Selden, 2013
      • Family Dolichopteridae Kjellesvig-Waering & Størmer, 1952
      • Family Eurypteridae Burmeister, 1845
      • Family Strobilopteridae Lamsdell & Selden, 2013

Notes and 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. 1955. Merostomata. Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part P Arthropoda 2, Chelicerata, P30. as Eurypteracea