Brontoscorpio
| Brontoscorpio | ||||||||||||
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Hypothetical living reconstruction of a Brontoscorpio hunting two sea scorpions (Eurypterida) of the species Hughmilleri norvegica . |
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| Temporal occurrence | ||||||||||||
| Upper Silurian or Lower Devonian | ||||||||||||
| Locations | ||||||||||||
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Trimpley ( Worcestershire , England ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Brontoscorpio | ||||||||||||
| Kjellesvig-Waering , 1972 |
Brontoscorpio anglicus was a genus of scorpions that lived in the Upper Silurian . So far, only one fossil is known, the isolated movable scissor finger of a pedipalp , which was discovered near Trimpley in Worcestershire (England). Due to the very limited evidence, not all authors consider the description as a separate genus and species to be meaningful.
features
The scissor finger found belongs to the right pedipalp , is almost complete, curved and 9.75 centimeters long. Only at the tip is probably about 2.5 millimeters missing. Its base is triangular and 2 inches wide and 2.7 inches high. Its inside is covered with numerous round nodules that vary from two to three rows at the ends to six rows in the middle. The outside has a clear ridge with several cusps in the basal part, as well as further irregularly distributed cusps on both sides in the back area of the finger. In contrast to those of modern scorpions, the finger inserted with a simple joint on the pointed side of the base, while the musculature inserted on the flat side. The total length of the animal was estimated to be 77 to 94 centimeters based on comparisons with today's scorpions.
Way of life
Brontoscorpio was found in terrestrial sediments, but it is assumed that due to its size , it had to go into the water at least for molting , but may also have lived amphibiously or aquatically as a whole. Its size could have been an advantage when going ashore, since large animals can more easily maintain their water balance due to the smaller surface area in relation to the volume and the resulting lower evaporation .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Andrew J. Jeram: Phylogney, classification and evolution of Silurian and Devonian scorpions. In: Proceedings of the 17th European Colloquium of Arachnology, Edinburgh 1997, 1998 PDF ( Memento of the original from July 25, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Erik N. Kjellesvig-Waering : Brontoscorpio anglicus: A Gigantic Lower Paleozoic Scorpion from Central England . In Journal of Paleontology. Vol. 46, No. 1, 1972, ISSN 0022-3360 , pp. 39-42.
- ^ Gary A. Polis, The Biology of Scorpions . Stanford University Press, 1990, ISBN 978-0-8047-1249-1 , pp. 2.137, 138 .
- ^ Paul A. Selden , Andrew J. Jeram: Palaeophysiology of terrestrialization in the Chelicerata. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Earth Sciences, 80, pp. 303-310. 1989 PDF ( Memento of the original from August 3, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
