Specimens of Eurypterus (Chelicerata, Eurypterida) in the collections of Museo Geominero (Geological Survey of Spain), Madrid

O.E. Tetlie; I. Rábano

doi:10.21701/bolgeomin.118.1.009

Authors

O.E. Tetlie Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University
I. Rábano Museo Geominero. Instituto Geológico y Minero de España

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21701/bolgeomin.118.1.009

Keywords:

Eurypterids, North America, palaeontological collection, Silurian, Ukraine

Abstract

The non-Spanish, Silurian eurypterids in the collection of Museo Geominero, Madrid, are reviewed. The collection consists of material of Eurypterus remipes (three slabs with a total of five specimens) from Herkimer County, New York State, USA and Eurypterus tetragonophthalmus (one slab with one complete and three fragmentary specimens) from the Ukraine. The specimens show signs of being exuviae rather than carcases. There are very few ways to unequivocally separate exuviae from carcases, so this is at best a tenuous conclusion based on this material only, but is well-supported in larger collections from these lithologies. One of the American specimens has a type A genital appendage, i.e. it is a female according to the presently favoured interpretation. This is again in line with evidence from larger collections, which suggests that around 90% of specimens of E. remipes from Herkimer County had a type A genital appendage. A slab with three specimens shows ‘social behaviour’ found in certain eurypterid taxa during ecdysis.

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