''Mycterops'' is a genus of prehistoric
eurypterid of the family
Mycteroptidae. ''Mycterops'' lived during the
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic that spans 60 million years from the end of the Devonian Period million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Permian Period, million years ago. The name ''Carbonifero ...
period in
Europe and
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
.
Description
Mycteroptids were medium-sized to fairly large. Their outer surface had numerous scales and reticulate ornamentation. Their first and possibly second tergites (dorsal surfaces of the abdominal sections) were strongly developed. Their legs resembled those of ''
Stylonurus
''Stylonurus'' is a genus of prehistoric eurypterid of the family Stylonuridae. The genus contains three species: ''Stylonurus powriensis'' from the Devonian of Scotland, ''Stylonurus shaffneri'' from the Devonian of Pennsylvania and ''Stylonurus ...
''. The prosoma (head) was subtrapezoid, with small compound eyes.
[ 1955. Merostomata. ''Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part P Arthropoda 2, Chelicerata'', P39.]
Classification
The three genera included in the ''
Mycteroptidae'' - ''Mycterops'', ''
Woodwardopterus'', and ''
Megarachne'' - might represent different
ontogenetic stages of each other based on the sizes of the referred specimens and the patterns of mucronation. This would sink the genera ''Woodwardopterus'' and ''Megarachne'' into ''Mycterops''.
''Mycterops whitei'' is a fragmentary species that might not be referrable to the genus at all if more complete specimens show that it has a caudal postabdomen.
Species
The species currently seen as valid species of the genus are:
[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).]
* ''Mycterops''? ''blairi''
Waterston, 1968 — Carboniferous, Scotland.
* ''Mycterops matthieui ''
Pruvost, 1924 — Carboniferous, Belgium.
* ''Mycterops ordinatus ''
Cope, 1886 — Carboniferous, Pennsylvania ( United States).
* ''Mycterops''? ''whitei''
Schram, 1984 — Carboniferous, Iowa ( United States).
See also
*
List of eurypterids
References
Carboniferous eurypterids
Stylonurina
Carboniferous arthropods of Europe
Eurypterids of Europe
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