A new sea scorpion (Arthropoda, Eurypterida) from the Early Devonian of Willwerath (Rhineland-Palatinate, SW Germany)
- PDF / 6,506,288 Bytes
- 10 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 8 Downloads / 179 Views
RESEARCH PAPER
A new sea scorpion (Arthropoda, Eurypterida) from the Early Devonian of Willwerath (Rhineland‑Palatinate, SW Germany) Markus J. Poschmann1 Received: 27 February 2020 / Accepted: 30 April 2020 © Paläontologische Gesellschaft 2020
Abstract A new eurypterid specimen from the Early Devonian of Willwerath is described. The character combination seen in this fossil suggests that it is probably an adelophthalmoid eurypterid morphologically not unlike the co-occurring Parahughmil‑ leria. However, it differs in many respects and a new genus and species, Pruemopterus salgadoi gen. et sp. nov., is proposed to accommodate this fossil. This finding underpins the importance of Willwerath as a eurypterid Lagerstätte with respect to exceptional preservation and high diversity. Keywords Eurypterida · Sea scorpion · Devonian · Willwerath · Adelophthalmoidea · Pruemopterus gen. nov.
Introduction The “Fossil-Lagerstätte Willwerath” is one of the ‘classic’ localities in the Rhenish Early Devonian reflecting deposition in marine-terrestrial transitional facies. It is situated in an old sandstone quarry within the district of the municipality of Hermespand and became well known for the occurrence of early land plants, vertebrates, and arthropods with non-mineralized cuticles (Anderson et al. 1998; Poschmann 2008). Among these are chelicerate arthropods such as arachnids (Dunlop and Poschmann 1997) and Willwerathia laticeps (Størmer, 1936), whose ‘synziphosurine’ affinities have recently been questioned by Lamsdell (2019). However, one group of arthropods, the eurypterids or sea scorpions, is especially diverse despite the fact, that the fossils originate from just one distinct layer of mudstone with a thickness of about 150 cm. Eurypterids from Willwerath were first described by the Norwegian palaeontologist and geologist Professor Leif Størmer (1905–1979) in a monographic account on German eurypterids (Størmer 1936) that was later supplemented Handling Editor: Joachim T. Haug. * Markus J. Poschmann mposchma@rz‑online.de; [email protected] 1
Direktion Landesarchäologie/Erdgeschichte, Generaldirektion Kulturelles Erbe RLP, Niederberger Höhe 1, 56077 Koblenz, Germany
by the same author (Størmer 1969). More recent contributions dealing with eurypterids from Willwerath comprise Poschmann (2006), Poschmann and Tetlie (2006), and Braddy et al. (2008). The Willwerath association currently comprises five eurypterid species referable to the genera Jaekelopterus, Rhenopterus, Erieopterus, Adelophthalmus, and Parahughmilleria. Stylonurus perspicillum Størmer, 1969 was grouped under Eurypterida incertae sedis by Dunlop et al. (2019) and is regarded here as a highly doubtful taxon, even with respect to its eurypterid or arthropod nature. Here, a further new and rare adelophthalmid eurypterid from Willwerath is described and adds to the diversity of the family Adelophthalmidae. Despite intense collecting since the 1980s, this new taxon is only represented by a single specimen. The fossil is lacking most prosomal app
Data Loading...
