It has been baptized as Terropterus xiushanensis. This sea scorpion lived approximately 435 million years ago during the Llandovery era of the Lower Silurian period.
"Eurypterids, or sea scorpions, are an important group of chelicerate arthropods from the Middle Paleozoic whose evolution and palaeoecological importance have attracted much attention in recent years," explains Bo Wang of the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology and the Center for Excellence. in Life and Paleoenvironment at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and co-author of the study published in the journal Science Bulletin.
“Its second, and especially third, pair of prosomal limbs are enlarged and very spiny. These limbs were presumably used to capture prey, and analogies can be drawn with the 'capture basket' formed by the spiny pedipalps of whip spiders among the arachnids, "the expert continues.
Terropterus xiushanensis represents the first of the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana, as well as the oldest known mixopterus.
The species was relatively large, reaching up to 1 meter in length, and was probably one of the main predators in the Silurian marine ecosystem when there were no large vertebrate competitors.
Reference: Han Wang et al. 2021. First mixopterid eurypterids (Arthropoda: Chelicerata) from the Lower Silurian of South China. Science Bulletin 66 (22): 2277-2280; doi: 10.1016 / j.scib.2021.07.019
