Eurypterus
remipes
Merostomata,
Eurypterida, Eurypteridae
Geological
Time: Upper Silurian, (~410 m.y.a.)
Size (25.4
mm = 1 inch): 60 mm long by 65 mm wide at the swimming legs.
Matrix: 120 mm by 165 mm
Foosil Site:
Phelps Waterlime, Bertie Group, Fiddler’s Green Formation, Herkimer
County, New York
Fossil Code:
SRC02
Price: $495.00
 Description:
While Eurypterids (“Sea Scorpions”) are uncommon
fossils worldwide, New York state is one of the few places where
conditions
for preservation have been ideal. They were large arthropod predators
during the Silurian and Devonian, reaching a maximum length of
2 meters. The Eurypterid colonies of New York are distinctly
localized, with two being found above and two below the salt
beds of what
was termed the Salina Series. These colonies are presumed to
be breeding  pools
of brackish to partly open basins. They are the Otisville Basin
(Colony O), the Pittsford Pool (Colony P), the
Herkimer Pool (Colony P), and the Buffalo Pool (Colony P). These
last two are the most famous of them, yielding numerous fantastic
specimens. Erypterus remipes was a small example of the Merostomata,
with specimens having been found ranging from 8 mm to 280 mm
in length. It is presumed to have crawled along the seafloor,
using
its grasping pincers to seize trilobites and other prey. This
fine example is an adult, and has the swimming paddles and two
walking
legs preserved. Notice the compound eyes and detail to the prosoma.
Much of the exoskeleton is preserved, the segmentation of the
meso- and metasoma is well detailed, and the specimen is well-centered
on the large dolostone matrix. This is a fine example of the
fossil
designated the New York Sate Fossil by then Governor Mario Cuomo
in 1984.
Also
see this larger museum quality Eurypterus
remipes, a mass
mortality, as well as a Pterygotus
sea scorpion from Scotland. |
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