Leiopterella is a genus of prehistoric eurypterid of the family Rhenopteridae. It contains one species, Leiopterella tetliei, from the Early Devonian of Nunavut, Canada.[1] The name is said to be derived from the Greek leios (meaning "smooth") and pteros (meaning "wing", a suffix traditionally applied to many eurypterid genera). The proper word for wing in ancient Greek is however pteron (πτερόν).[2] The species name honors Dr. O. Erik Tetlie for his contributions to the study of fossil eurypterids.[3]
| Leiopterella Temporal range:
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|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Order: | †Eurypterida |
| Superfamily: | †Rhenopteroidea |
| Family: | †Rhenopteridae |
| Genus: | †Leiopterella Lamsdell, Braddy, Loeffler & Dineley, 2010 |
| Type species | |
| Leiopterella tetliei Lamsdell, Braddy, Loeffler & Dineley, 2010
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Description
editLeiopterella is defined as a rhenopterid with a turbinate carapace lacking a cuticular sculpture. The ventral sutures resemble those of Eurypterus and the gnathobases are large and robust. The genus possesses a short type-B genital appendage with a bi-lobed termination.[3]
The holotype (and only published) specimen, CMN 53573, measures 37 mm long and 29 mm wide and consists of the prosoma, four opisthosomal segments, a faintly preserved metasoma, portions of the prosomal appendages and the genital appendage.[3]
Classification
editHistorically, Leiopterella was classified as a rhenopterid closely related to Rhenopterus and more derived than basal rhenopterids such as Brachyopterus and Brachyopterella.[3] However, a 2021 study concluded that Leiopterella was more basal than previously thought.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ 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).
- ^ Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). A Greek-English Lexicon. revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with the assistance of. Roderick McKenzie. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
- ^ a b c d Lamsdell, James C.; Braddy, Simon J.; Loeffler, Elizabeth J.; Dineley, David L. (2010-10-27). "Early Devonian stylonurine eurypterids from Arctic Canada". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 47 (11): 1405–1415. Bibcode:2010CaJES..47.1405J. doi:10.1139/E10-053. ISSN 0008-4077.
- ^ Braddy, Simon J.; Dunlop, Jason A.; Bonsor, Joseph A. (2021). "The Early Devonian eurypterid Leiopterella tetliei from Arctic Canada" (PDF). Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 58 (12): 1301–1307. Bibcode:2021CaJES..58.1301B. doi:10.1139/cjes-2021-0015. S2CID 240257178.