Hibbertopterus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Hibbertopterus Fossil range: Late Carboniferous - Late Permian |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Chelicerata |
| Order: | †Eurypterida |
| Suborder: | †Stylonurina |
| Superfamily: | †Hibbertopteroidea |
| Family: | †Hibbertopteridae |
| Genus: | Hibbertopterus |
Hibbertopterus is a genus of giant sea scorpion (order Eurypterida) that inhabited the swamps of Scotland during the Carboniferous.
Hibbertopterus is a member of the family Hibbertoperidae, large bizarre Eurypterids found from the Upper Devonian to the end Permian[1]. They were sweep feeders, inhabiting freshwater swamps and rivers, feeding by raking through the soft sediment with blades on their anterior appendages to capture small invertebrates.[2] Their morphology was so unusual that they have been thought to be an order separate to Eurypterida[3]. Recent work however confirms them to be a derived member of the suborder Stylonurina, with the genus Drepanopterus being a basal member of their superfamily.
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[edit] Trackway
Hibbertopterus is believed to have been one of the first aquatic animals to exhibit terrestrial locomotion, as tracks indicating a dragging movement have been found in West Lothian, Scotland [4]. The track found was roughly six metres long and a metre wide, suggesting the size of the eurypterid to be six feet in length.
The specimen itself is the base of overlying and infilling sandstone and thus shows the tracks in negative relief: a groove appears as a ridge.
[edit] Species
- Hibbertopterus Kjellesvig-Waering, 1959
- ?Hibbertopterus hibernicus (Baily, 1872) — Carboniferous, Ireland
- Hibbertopterus permianus Ponomarenko, 1985 — Permian, Russia
- Hibbertopterus scouleri (Hibbert, 1836) — Carboniferous, Scotland
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Tetlie, O E (2007). "Distribution and dispersal history of Eurypterida (Chelicerata)". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 252: 557–574. doi:.
- ^ Selden, P.A., Corronca, J.A. & Hünicken, M.A (2005). "The true identity of the supposed giant fossil spider Megarachne.". Biology Letters 1: 44–48. doi:.
- ^ Tollerton, V P. "Morphology, Taxonomy, and Classification of the Order Eurypterida Burmeister, 1843". Journal of Paleontology 63: 642–657.
- ^ Whyte, M A (2005). "Palaeoecology: A gigantic fossil arthropod trackway". Nature 438: 576. doi:. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v438/n7068/pdf/438576a.pdf.
