Eurypterus
remipes
Class Merostomata,
Order Eurypterida, Superfamily Eurypteroidea, Family Eurypteridae
Geological
Time: Upper Silurian, (~410 m.y.a.)
Size (25.4
mm = 1 inch): Eurypterus fossil
is 40 mm long by 34 mm wide at the swimming legs. Matrix: 95
mm by 75 mm
Fossil Site:
Bertie Group, Fiddler’s Green Formation Phelps Waterlime, Herkimer
County, New York
Fossil Code:
KZC09
Price: Sold
 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 a juvenile, and has the swimming paddles and some walking
legs preserved. The segmentation of the meso- and metasoma is well
detailed, and the specimen is well-centered on the dolostone matrix.
This is a fine example of the fossil designated the New York Sate
Fossil by then Governor Mario Cuomo in 1984 missing only the end
of the telson, offered here at a bargain price.
Also see this larger museum quality Eurypterus
remipes, as well as a Pterygotus
sea scorpion from Scotland. |
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