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Megalograptus
''Megalograptus'' is a genus of eurypterid, an extinct group of aquatic arthropods. Fossils of ''Megalograptus'' have been recovered in deposits of Katian (Late Ordovician) age in North America. The genus contains five species: ''M. alveolatus'', ''M. ohioensis'', ''M. shideleri'', ''M. welchi'' and ''M. williamsae'', all based on fossil material found in the United States. Fossils unassigned to any particular species have also been found in Canada. The generic name translates to "great writing" and originates from the mistaken original belief that ''Megalograptus'' was a type of graptolite, often given names ending with -''graptus'' (meaning 'writing'). ''Megalograptus'' was a large predatory megalograptid eurypterid, with the largest and best known species, ''M. ohioensis'', reaching body lengths of . Some species were substantially smaller, with the smallest, belonging to a hitherto undetermined species, only growing to about in length. Morphologically, ''Megalograptus'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Megalograptus Size
''Megalograptus'' is a genus of eurypterid, an extinct group of aquatic arthropods. Fossils of ''Megalograptus'' have been recovered in deposits of Katian (Late Ordovician) age in North America. The genus contains five species: ''M. alveolatus'', ''M. ohioensis'', ''M. shideleri'', ''M. welchi'' and ''M. williamsae'', all based on fossil material found in the United States. Fossils unassigned to any particular species have also been found in Canada. The generic name translates to "great writing" and originates from the mistaken original belief that ''Megalograptus'' was a type of graptolite, often given names ending with -''graptus'' (meaning 'writing'). ''Megalograptus'' was a large predatory megalograptid eurypterid, with the largest and best known species, ''M. ohioensis'', reaching body lengths of . Some species were substantially smaller, with the smallest, belonging to a hitherto undetermined species, only growing to about in length. Morphologically, ''Megalograptus'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Echinognathus
''Echinognathus'' is a genus of eurypterid, an extinct group of aquatic arthropods. The type and only species of ''Echinognathus'', ''E. clevelandi'', is known from deposits of Late Ordovician age in the United States. The generic name is derived from the New Latin ''echino''- ("spiny") and the Greek ''gnáthos'' ("jaw"), in reference to a spiny endognathary (used to handle food) appendage part of the fossil type material. ''Echinognathus'' is only known from fragmentary fossil material, consisting of body segments, an appendage used to handle food and possibly other body segments. The genus is distinguished from other eurypterids by the large number of elongated and curved spines, blade-like in life, on its limbs. Initially assumed to represent a species of ''Eurypterus'', these distinguishing features were quickly noticed and deemed important enough to designate ''Echinognathus'' as its own genus. With some additional fossil assigned to ''Echinognathus'' in the early 20th centur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pentecopterus
''Pentecopterus'' is a genus of eurypterid, an extinct group of aquatic arthropods. Fossils have been registered from the Darriwilian age of the Middle Ordovician period, as early as 467.3 million years ago. The genus contains only one species, ''P. decorahensis'', that is the oldest known eurypterid, surpassing other Ordovician eurypterids, such as ''Brachyopterus'', in age by almost 9 million years. The generic name derives from the penteconter, a warship from ancient Greece, and the suffix -''pterus'', which means "wing" and is often used in other genus of eurypterids. The specific name refers to Decorah, Iowa, where ''Pentecopterus'' was discovered. The genus is classified as part of the Megalograptidae family of eurypterids, a family differentiated from other eurypterids by the possession of two or more pairs of spines per podomere on prosomal appendage IV, a reduction of almost all spines and the large exoskeletons with ovate to triangular scales. It is estimated that '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eurypterid
Eurypterids, often informally called sea scorpions, are a group of extinct arthropods that form the Order (biology), order Eurypterida. The earliest known eurypterids date to the Darriwilian stage of the Ordovician period 467.3 Myr, million years ago. The group is likely to have appeared first either during the Early Ordovician or Late Cambrian period. With approximately 250 species, the Eurypterida is the most diverse Paleozoic Chelicerata, chelicerate order. Following their appearance during the Ordovician, eurypterids became major components of marine faunas during the Silurian, from which the majority of eurypterid species have been described. The Silurian genus ''Eurypterus'' accounts for more than 90% of all known eurypterid specimens. Though the group continued to diversify during the subsequent Devonian period, the eurypterids were heavily affected by the Late Devonian extinction event. They declined in numbers and diversity until becoming extinct during the Permian–Tri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Megalograptid
Megalograptidae are a family of eurypterids, an extinct group of chelicerate arthropods commonly known as "sea scorpions". The megalograptids were likely the first major successful group of eurypterids, evidenced by a Late Ordovician radiation. All known members of the Megalograptidea are from the Late Ordovician of Laurentia with the exception of the large ''Pentecopterus'' from the Middle Ordovician. Description Megalograptids are characterized by large exoskeletons with ovate to triangular scales. The prosoma (head) is subquadrate, with a tonguelike anterior process bearing marginal spines, and compound eyes on the top front of the head. The chelicerae (claws in front of the mouth) are small and short. The first and third pairs of walking legs are short, with diverging or closely spaced spines. The second pair of walking legs is enormously developed, with long paired spines. The fourth pair of walking legs are nearly spineless. The preabdomen, the front portion of the body, i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cannibalistic
Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s .... Human cannibalism is well documented, both in ancient and in recent times. The rate of cannibalism increases in nutritionally poor environments as individuals turn to members of their own species as an additional food source.Elgar, M.A. & Crespi, B.J. (1992) ''Cannibalism: ecology and evolution among diverse taxa'', Oxford University Press, Oxford [England]; New York. Cannibalism regulates population numbers, whereby resources such as food, shelter and territory become more readily available with the decrease of potential competi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ctenopterus
''Ctenopterus'' is a genus of prehistoric eurypterid of the family Stylonuridae. It contains only one species, ''Ctenopterus cestrotus'' from the Early Silurian of Otisville, New York.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). Description Stylonurids, which lived from the Ordovician to Lower Permian periods, were small to very large forms with scales developing into tubercules and knobs. The prosoma (head) exhibited variable shape, with arcuate compound eyes located subcentrally, or anteriorly. Their abdomens were slender. Their walking legs were long and powerful, sometimes characterized by spines. Most genera did not have swimming legs. 1955. Merostomata. ''Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part P Arthropoda 2, Chelicerata'', P36. ''Ctenopterus'' is dis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coprolite
A coprolite (also known as a coprolith) is fossilized feces. Coprolites are classified as trace fossils as opposed to body fossils, as they give evidence for the animal's behaviour (in this case, diet) rather than morphology. The name is derived from the Greek words κόπρος (''kopros'', meaning "dung") and λίθος (''lithos'', meaning "stone"). They were first described by William Buckland in 1829. Before this, they were known as "fossil fir cones" and "bezoar stones". They serve a valuable purpose in paleontology because they provide direct evidence of the predation and diet of extinct organisms. Coprolites may range in size from a few millimetres to over 60 centimetres. Coprolites, distinct from ''paleofeces'', are fossilized animal dung. Like other fossils, coprolites have had much of their original composition replaced by mineral deposits such as silicates and calcium carbonates. Paleofeces, on the other hand, retain much of their original organic composition ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trilobite
Trilobites (; meaning "three lobes") are extinct marine arthropods that form the class Trilobita. Trilobites form one of the earliest-known groups of arthropods. The first appearance of trilobites in the fossil record defines the base of the Atdabanian stage of the Early Cambrian period () and they flourished throughout the lower Paleozoic before slipping into a long decline, when, during the Devonian, all trilobite orders except the Proetida died out. The last extant trilobites finally disappeared in the mass extinction at the end of the Permian about 252 million years ago. Trilobites were among the most successful of all early animals, existing in oceans for almost 270 million years, with over 22,000 species having been described. By the time trilobites first appeared in the fossil record, they were already highly diversified and geographically dispersed. Because trilobites had wide diversity and an easily fossilized exoskeleton, they left an extensive fossil record. The stu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Katian
The Katian is the second stage of the Upper Ordovician. It is preceded by the Sandbian and succeeded by the Hirnantian Stage. The Katian began million years ago and lasted for about 7.8 million years until the beginning of the Hirnantian million years ago. During the Katian the climate cooled which started the Late Ordovician glaciation. Naming The name Katian is derived from Katy Lake (Atoka County, Oklahoma, United States). GSSP The GSSP of the Katian Stage is the Black Knob Ridge Section in southeastern Oklahoma (United States). It is an outcrop of the Womble Shale and the Bigfork Chert, the latter containing the lower boundary of the Katian. The lower boundary is defined as the first appearance datum of the graptolite Graptolites are a group of colonial animals, members of the subclass Graptolithina within the class Pterobranchia. These filter-feeding Filter feeders are a sub-group of suspension feeding animals that feed by straining suspended matter and ... spe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chelicerates
The subphylum Chelicerata (from New Latin, , ) constitutes one of the major subdivisions of the phylum Arthropoda. It contains the sea spiders, horseshoe crabs, and arachnids (including harvestmen, scorpions, spiders, solifuges, ticks, and mites, among many others), as well as a number of extinct lineages, such as the eurypterids (sea scorpions) and chasmataspidids. The Chelicerata originated as marine animals in the Middle Cambrian period; the first confirmed chelicerate fossils, belonging to ''Sanctacaris'', date from 508 million years ago. The surviving marine species include the four species of xiphosurans (horseshoe crabs), and possibly the 1,300 species of pycnogonids (sea spiders), if the latter are indeed chelicerates. On the other hand, there are over 77,000 well-identified species of air-breathing chelicerates, and there may be about 500,000 unidentified species. Like all arthropods, chelicerates have segmented bodies with jointed limbs, all covered ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ordovician
The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and System (geology), system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era (geology), Era. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years from the end of the Cambrian Period million years ago (Mya) to the start of the Silurian Period Mya. The Ordovician, named after the Celtic Britons, Welsh tribe of the Ordovices, was defined by Charles Lapworth in 1879 to resolve a dispute between followers of Adam Sedgwick and Roderick Murchison, who were placing the same Rock (geology), rock beds in North Wales in the Cambrian and Silurian systems, respectively. Lapworth recognized that the fossil fauna in the disputed Stratum, strata were different from those of either the Cambrian or the Silurian systems, and placed them in a system of their own. The Ordovician received international approval in 1960 (forty years after Lapworth's death), when it was adopted as an official period of the Paleozoic Era by the International Union of Geological Sciences, Intern ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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