Mycterops is a genus of prehistoric eurypterid of the family Mycteroptidae. Mycterops lived during the Carboniferous period in Europe and North America.
| Mycterops Temporal range:
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| Figure by Edward Drinker Cope of the carapace and part of the abdomen of M. ordinatus from its 1886 description | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Order: | †Eurypterida |
| Superfamily: | †Mycteropoidea |
| Family: | †Mycteroptidae |
| Genus: | †Mycterops Cope, 1886 |
| Type species | |
| †Mycterops ordinatus Cope, 1886
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Description
editMycteroptids 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. The prosoma (head) was subtrapezoid, with small compound eyes.[1]
Classification
editThe 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.[2]
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.[2]
Species
editThe species currently seen as valid species of the genus are:[3]
- 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
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References
edit- ^ Størmer, L 1955. Merostomata. Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part P Arthropoda 2, Chelicerata, P39.
- ^ a b James C. Lamsdell, Simon J. Braddy & O. Erik Tetlie (2010). "The systematics and phylogeny of the Stylonurina (Arthropoda: Chelicerata: Eurypterida)". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 8 (1): 49–61. doi:10.1080/14772011003603564. S2CID 85398946.
- ^ 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).
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