In Depth Dominickus is a genus of butterfly moth that lived in the western USA during the late Eocene. Further Reading - A butterfly-moth (Lepidoptera Castniidae) from the Oligocene shales of Florissant, Colorado. - Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera 24(1):31-40. - N. B. Tindale - 1985.
In Depth Palaeovespa is a genus of wasp that lived at least from the end of the Paleocene to the end of the Eocene. Palaeovespa is noted for its similarity to the modern day genus Vespa, hence the name Palaeovespa which means ‘old Vespa’. However the wing structure of Palaeovespa leaves no doubt that it … Read more
In Depth Pseudosiobla is a genus of extinct sawfly that lived in North America during the Eocene. Further Reading - Some fossil arthropods from Florissant, Colorado. - Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 23:605-616. - T. D. A. Cockerell - 1907. - New Phytophagous Hymenoptera from the Tertiary of Florissant, Colorado. - Bulletin … Read more
In Depth First mistaken for a graptolite thanks to only a very spiny leg being discovered, Megalograptus is now known to have been a large eurypterid, colloquially known as a ‘sea scorpion’. Megalograptus is the type genus of the Megalograptoidea, a group of eurypterids which are primarily identified by the arrangement of spikes on their … Read more
In Depth Leanchoilia is a genus of Cambrian era arthropod that lived in the Cambrian seas of both Canada and China. Leanchoilia had a shelled segmented body with short appendages that grew from underneath. These appendages likely served as the anchor points for gills that would have extracted oxygen from the water. The eyes of … Read more
In Depth The genus Marrella has the distinction of being the most common animal found in the world famous Burgess Shale. When first described in 1912 Marrella was thought to possibly be a lace crab, and then later a trilobite. Later studies have now concluded however that Marrella is actually a stem arthropod, related to … Read more
In Depth Burgessia is a genus of arthropod that lived during the Cambrian, and one that looks a lot like a modern day horseshoe crab when seen from above. Burgessia was much smaller than a horseshoe crab however with even the largest individuals being only a little over four centimetres in length, and the smallest … Read more
In Depth Further Reading - Revision of fossil species of Dryinus belonging to lamellatus group, with description of a new species (Hymenoptera, Dryinidae) 130: 505–514. - Massimo Olmi & Adalgisa Guglielmino - 2011.
In Depth As the second largest known eurypterid, Pterygotus remains have been recovered from the world over suggesting that it was a highly successful predator. Pterygotus had four compound eyes with two smaller ones on top of the head and two larger ones at the front. This would have given Pterygotus exceptionally good vision for … Read more
In Depth Tokummia is a genus of arthropod that lived near the sea floor around Canada during the Cambrian. Further Reading - Burgess Shale fossils illustrate the origin of the mandibulate body plan. - Nature. 545 (7652): 89–92. - C�dric Aria & Jean-Bernard Caron - 2017.