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''Eurypterus'' ( ) is an extinct genus of sea scorpions. They existed during the Silurian Period, from around 432 to 418 million years ago. There are fifteen species belonging to the genus ''Eurypterus'', the most common of which is ''Eurypterus remipes'', the first eurypterid fossil discovered and the state fossil of New York. Members of ''Eurypterus'' averaged at about in length, but the largest individual discovered was long. They all possessed spine-bearing appendages and a large paddle they used for swimming. They were generalist species, equally likely to engage in predation or scavenging. ==Discovery== The first fossil of ''Eurypterus'' was found in 1818 by S. L. Mitchill, a fossil collector. It was recovered from the Bertie Formation of New York (near Westmoreland, Oneida County). Mitchill interpreted the appendages on the carapace as barbels arising from the mouth.〔 He consequently identified the fossil as a catfish of the genus ''Silurus''.〔〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Eurypterida: Fossil Record )〕 It was only after seven years, in 1825, that the American zoologist James Ellsworth De Kay identified the fossil correctly as an arthropod. He named it ''Eurypterus remipes'' and established the genus ''Eurypterus'' in the process. The name means "wide wing" or "broad paddle", referring to the swimming legs, from Greek εὐρύς (''eurús'', wide) and πτερόν (''pteron'', wing).〔 However, De Kay thought ''Eurypterus'' was a branchiopod (a group of crustaceans which include fairy shrimps and water fleas).〔 Soon after, ''Eurypterus lacustris'' was also discovered in New York in 1835 by the paleontologist Richard Harlan. Another species was discovered in Estonia in 1858 by Jan Nieszkowski. He considered it to be of the same species as the first discovery (''E. remipes''); it is now known as ''Eurypterus tetragonophthalmus''.〔 These specimens from Estonia are often of extraordinary quality, retaining the actual cuticle of their exoskeletons. In 1898, the Swedish paleontologist Gerhard Holm separated these fossils from the bedrock with acids. Holm was then able to examine the almost perfectly preserved fragments under a microscope. His remarkable study led to the modern breakthrough on eurypterid morphology.〔 More fossils were recovered in great abundance in New York in the 19th century, and elsewhere in eastern Eurasia and North America. Today, ''Eurypterus'' remains one of the most commonly found and best known eurypterid genera, comprising more than 95% of all known eurypterid fossils.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Eurypterus」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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