Vaderlimulus is a genus of horseshoe crab.[1][2] The species V. tricki lived in the Olenekian age Triassic period approximately 245 million years ago North America, Idaho. The genus was named after a Star Wars character Darth Vader due to the animal's oversized head shield resembling Darth Vader’s helmet. The specific epithet "tricki" named in recognition of Trick Runions who discovered V. tricki. Vaderlimulus tricki is known as the first Triassic horseshoe crab from North America.[3] Vaderlimulus was 10 centimeters (4 inches) in length.
| Vaderlimulus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Holotype specimen | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Order: | Xiphosura |
| Family: | †Austrolimulidae |
| Genus: | †Vaderlimulus Lerner et al. 2017 |
| Species: | †V. tricki
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| Binomial name | |
| †Vaderlimulus tricki Lerner et al. 2017
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It was a member of the family Austrolimulidae, meaning that Vaderlimulus tricki lived in the oceans of the Triassic Period but may had wandered into freshwater too. V. tricki most likely inhabited the coast lines of western North America, Idaho where both salt water and freshwater meet.[4]
References
edit- ^ Lerner, Allan J.; Lucas, Spencer G.; Lockley, Martin (2017-12-01). "First fossil horseshoe crab (Xiphosurida) from the Triassic of North America". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen: 289–302. doi:10.1127/njgpa/2017/0702.
- ^ Lerner, Allan J.; Lucas, Spencer G. (2022-01-28). "A second specimen provides new morphologic information on Vaderlimulus, the only known fossil horseshoe crab (Xiphosurida) from the Triassic of North America". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen: 29–37. doi:10.1127/njgpa/2022/1036.
- ^ Anderson, Natali (2017-12-14). "First Triassic Horseshoe Crab Fossil Found in North America | Paleontology | Sci-News.com". Sci.News: Breaking Science News. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- ^ Dan Robitzski (2017-12-06). "Horseshoe Crab Fossil from a Long Time Ago Named After Darth Vader". livescience.com. Retrieved 2022-08-01.