In Depth Canadaspis acquired its name because it was first identified from Canadian deposits and has a large shell referenced as a shield protecting its upper body. Canadaspis also has a number of spines rising up from its upper body that seem to serve the purpose of protection for its eyes. Since its initial discovery … Read more
In Depth Initially described as a species of Inocellia, Electrinocellia is a genus of snakefly that lived in Russia during the Eocene. Further Reading - A New Fossil Snake-Fly Species from Baltic Amber (Raphidioptera: Inocelliidae). - Psyche 102:187-193. - M. S. Engel - 1995.
In Depth Mongolarachne was originally described in 2011 as Nephila jurassica, a prehistoric species of the Nephila genus of orb weaving spiders that we know today. Nephila jurassica made headlines at the time because it was the largest known spider in the fossil record, though comparable in size to modern golden orb weaver spiders that … Read more
In Depth Waptia was amongst some of the first fossil animals ever described by the famous American palaeontologist Charles Doolittle Walcott, who today is best remembered for his work upon Cambrian era animals, especially those from the Burgess Shale Formation of Canada. Superficially, Waptia loosely resembles modern shrimps, however most researchers agree that Waptia is … Read more
In Depth Palaeoperenethis is genus of nursery web spider that lived in Canada during the Eocene. Nursery web spiders are so named as most members of this group only spin a web to protect their eggs just before they are about to hatch. For the rest of their lives these spiders stalk through vegetation, ambushing … Read more
In Depth Parastylotermes is a genus of termite that is known to have lived in both Eurasia and North America. So far, Eurasian species of Parastylotermes are known to have lived during the Eocene period, while the North American examples are from the later Miocene period. Specimens of Parastylotermes are so far from imago stage … Read more
In Depth Yohoia is an interesting little creature that was first discovered in the Canadian Burgess Shale where it is one of the more common creatures so far found. The body of Yohoia begins with a cephalon (head shield) that is followed by thirteen more body segments which end in a paddle-like tail. Three pairs … Read more
In Depth For a long time the Peytoia genus was once thought to represent a genus of jellyfish. Later however it was realised that this jellyfish was actually just the mouth of an anomalocarid arthropod. This means that in life Peytoia would have been more similar to other arthropods such as Anomolocaris. Further Reading – … Read more
In Depth Uintascorpio is a genus of scorpion that lived in the state of Colorado during the mid-Eocene. When first described, Uintascorpio was considered to be a member of the Vaejovidae scorpions, but this has not gained popular acceptance. At the time of writing the most recent analysis of Uintascorpio is that it is a … Read more
In Depth Tamisiocaris was first described as a possible anomalocaridid back in 2010, but by 2014 the genus was not only being confirmed as an anomalocaridid, but as a filter feeder. Anomalocaridids generally have two curving appendages that depending upon the genus, are usually situated in front of the head. The appendages on Tamisiocaris had … Read more