Buffalopterus

Buffalopterus
Temporal range: Silurian
Fossils
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Order: Eurypterida
Superfamily: Eurypteroidea
Family: Strobilopteridae
Genus: Buffalopterus
Kjellesvig-Waering & Heubusch, 1962
Type species
Buffalopterus pustulosus
Kjellesvig-Waering & Heubusch, 1962
Synonyms
  • Eurypterus giganteus Pohlman, 1882
  • Pterygotus globicaudatus Pohlman, 1882

Buffalopterus is a prehistoric eurypterid from the Silurian-aged Bertie Formation of New York and Ontario. The genus contains one species, B. pustulosus. It is closely related to Strobilopterus, but differs primarily by having a bizarre, globular telson (which is otherwise sword-like or spine-like in other eurypterids), and in size, being estimated to be around 1 metre (3.3 ft),[1] although later study show size estimation of 30 centimetres (12 in).[2]

  1. ^ Some Eurypterida from the Ordovician and Silurian of New York Erik N. Kjellesvig-Waering and Carol A. Heubusch
  2. ^ Lamsdell, James C.; Braddy, Simon J. (2009). "Cope's rule and Romer's theory: patterns of diversity and gigantism in eurypterids and Palaeozoic vertebrates". Biology Letters. 6 (2): 265–269. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2009.0700. ISSN 1744-9561. PMC 2865068. PMID 19828493. Supplemental material.