Hughmilleria

Hughmilleria
Temporal range: Llandovery-Ludlow, 442–418.7 Ma
Fossils of H. socialis.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Order: Eurypterida
Superfamily: Pterygotioidea
Family: Hughmilleriidae
Genus: Hughmilleria
Sarle, 1903
Type species
Hughmilleria socialis
Sarle, 1903
Species
  • H. shawangunk Clarke, 1907
  • H. socialis Sarle, 1903
  • H. wangi Tetlie, Selden & Ren, 2007

Hughmilleria is a genus of eurypterid, an extinct group of aquatic arthropods. Fossils of Hughmilleria have been discovered in deposits of the Silurian age in China and the United States. Classified as part of the basal family Hughmilleriidae, the genus contains three species, H. shawangunk from the eastern United States, H. socialis from Pittsford, New York, and H. wangi from Hunan, China. The genus is named in honor of the Scottish geologist Hugh Miller.

H. socialis is the type species of Hughmilleriidae, a eurypterid family classified in the superfamily Pterygotioidea that is differentiated by their streamlined bodies, the enlargement of their medium-sized chelicerae and the presence of paired spines on the walking appendages. With the biggest specimen measuring 20 centimetres (8 inches) in length, Hughmilleria is considered a eurypterid of small size.