Ciurcopterus

Ciurcopterus
Temporal range: Late Silurian, 423–419 Ma
Fossil specimen of C. ventricosus
Restoration of C. ventricosus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Order: Eurypterida
Superfamily: Pterygotioidea
Family: Pterygotidae
Genus: Ciurcopterus
Tetlie & Briggs, 2009
Type species
Ciurcopterus ventricosus
Kjellesvig-Waering, 1948
Species
  • C. sarlei Ciurca & Tetlie, 2007
  • C. ventricosus Kjellesvig-Waering, 1948

Ciurcopterus is a genus of eurypterid, an extinct group of aquatic arthropods. Fossils of Ciurcopterus have been discovered in deposits of Late Silurian age in North America. Classified as part of the family Pterygotidae, the genus contains two species, C. sarlei from Pittsford, New York and C. ventricosus from Kokomo, Indiana.[1] The genus is named in honor of Samuel J. Ciurca, Jr., who has contributed significantly to eurypterid research by discovering a large amount of eurypterid specimens, including the four specimens used to describe Ciurcopterus itself.[2]

Ciurcopterus is the most basal (primitive) known member of the Pterygotidae, and combined characteristics of more derived members of the family with features of close relatives of the group, such as Slimonia. Measuring 70 centimetres (28 inches) in length, Ciurcopterus was relatively large though smaller than many of the later members of its family, which would grow to become the largest known arthropods to have ever lived.

  1. ^ 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).
  2. ^ Tetlie, O. Erik; Briggs, Derek E. G. (2009-09-01). "The origin of pterygotid eurypterids (Chelicerata: Eurypterida)". Palaeontology. 52 (5): 1141–1148. Bibcode:2009Palgy..52.1141T. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2009.00907.x. ISSN 1475-4983.