Euproops
rotundatus
Phylum
Arthropda; Subphylum
Chelicerata; Class Xiphosura; Order Xiphosurida
Geological
Time: Pennsylvanian Wetsphalian B, Duckmantian Stage, Carboniferous
(about 300 mya)
Size: 37
mm long by 39 mm
Fossil Site:
Crook Hay Open Cast Quarry, Wigan, Lancashire, United Kingdom
 Xiphosura
(horseshoe crabs) are related to the extinct Eurypterids, and more
distantly to spiders and scorpions. They trace their ancestry back
to the Cambrian, and proceed into the modern day as the genus Limulus.
This one is most like the more common member of the genus Euproops
danae found in the Mazon Creek deposits of Illinois. The distinguishing
feature of Euproops is the far more rounded (rotund) aspect. The
UK location from which this very 3-D specimen was collected is currently
now landfilled.
Also
see: Living fossils |
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