Offacolidae Temporal range:
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Restoration of Offacolus | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
Clade: | Euchelicerata |
Family: | †Offacolidae Sutton et al., 2002 |
Type species | |
†Offacolus kingi Orr et al., 2000
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Genera | |
Offacolidae is a family of basal euchelicerate arthropods from the Ordovician and Silurian of Europe, Morocco and North America.[1][2] The family is united by several features, including paddle-like sixth post-cheliceral appendages, elongated chelicerae, and reduced first tergites (although these are apparently not unique to the clade, but instead euchelicerate or wider synapomorphies, therefore making the clade paraphyletic [citation needed]). They share with most other euchelicerates a wide carapace, which has led to them being placed in the paraphyletic “Synziphosurina” for a long time, however more detailed studies have led to them being separated.[3]