Salteropterus
Encyclopedia
Salteropterus is a genus of prehistoric eurypterid
of the family Slimonidae. Salteropterus lived in the Silurian
period, and specimens have been recovered in Britain.
, or tail, described as follows: "anterior part of carinate telson broadly trigonal with serrated posterior edges and followed by a long flat median stem which expands into a flattened posterior end".
Eurypterid
Eurypterids are an extinct group of arthropods related to arachnids which include the largest known arthropods that ever lived. They are members of the extinct order Eurypterida ; which is the most diverse Paleozoic chelicerate order in terms of species...
of the family Slimonidae. Salteropterus lived in the Silurian
Silurian
The Silurian is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Ordovician Period, about 443.7 ± 1.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Devonian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya . As with other geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period's start and end are well identified, but the...
period, and specimens have been recovered in Britain.
Description
Salteropterus is distinguishable by its distinctive telsonTelson
The telson is the last division of the body of a crustacean. It is not considered a true segment because it does not arise in the embryo from teloblast areas as do real segments. It never carries any appendages, but a forked "tail" called the caudal furca is often present. Together with the...
, or tail, described as follows: "anterior part of carinate telson broadly trigonal with serrated posterior edges and followed by a long flat median stem which expands into a flattened posterior end".
Species
Salteropterus contains only one species:- S. abbreviatus (Salter, 1859) — Silurian, Herfordshire, England