In Depth Protostephanus is a species of crown wasp that lived in North America during the late Eocene. The genus is based upon a partially preserved individual preserved in volcanic ash. This individual is speculated to be female to the presence of what seems to be a partially preserved ovipositor (egg laying organ). Further Reading … Read more
In Depth Arthrolycosa is an example of one of the earliest spiders, and like its name sake the Lycosa genus, Arthrolycosa would have hunted on the ground. Web spinning would not be a development until much later which means that Arthrolycosa would have probably lurked near cover while waiting for prey to pass by. When … Read more
In Depth Baltocteniza is a genus of trapdoor spider known to have lived in what is now North east Europe during the Eocene. Trapdoor spiders are famous either for digging out burrows or lining existing crevices in rocks and trees with silk and then covering the end with a hinged ‘trapdoor’ made out of dirt, … Read more
In Depth Eophyllium is a genus of leaf insect that is known to have lived in Europe, specifically Germany, during the Eocene. The holotype specimen is preserved flat on a slab of sedimentary rock and has allowed for a very interesting insight into how leaf insects evolved. Eophyllium differs from modern forms in that the … Read more
In Depth To begin we need to be clear about one thing: Megarachne was never a spider. Forget what you may have seen in the BBC documentary ‘Walking With Monsters, although in their defence they were following the original fossil study during production, and did change the name to Mesothelae for broadcast to try and … Read more
In Depth Although named in 1892, no one had any idea of the true identity of Anomalocaris until towards the end of the twentieth century. The first specimen was originally thought to be a shrimp, but with hindsight we now know this specimen to only represent one of the frontal grasping appendages. The second clue … Read more
In Depth Palaeophonus is one of the oldest known scorpions but there is uncertainty as to if it was fully terrestrial. Although the body seems to have been adapted for life on land, the respiratory openings usually seen in terrestrial scorpions have so far gone unobserved in Palaeophonus. Despite this uncertainty Palaeophonus seems to have … Read more
In Depth Ainiktozoon is an ancient crustacean noted for having a significantly large carapace. Further Reading - An anomalous fossil organism, possibly a new type of chordate, from the Upper Silurian of Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire – Ainiktozoon loganense, gen. et sp. nov. - Proceedings of the Royal Society B 121 (825): 533–547. - D. J. Scourfield … Read more
In Depth Like the giant Meganeura, Pulmonoscorpius is thought to have achieved its large size from the higher oxygen content of the air of the Carboniferous period. The superficial morphology of Pulmonoscorpius is that of a larger version to today’s scorpions, although its proportionally larger eyes have led to the suggestion that it may have … Read more
In Depth Proraphidia is a genus of snakefly that lived during the Mesozoic. The first specimen discovered in Kazakstan was determined to come from a deposit Mid Jurassic in age, but later discoveries in England and Spain have revealed that the Proraphidia genus survived all the way to the Early Cretaceous. As a snakefly Proraphidia … Read more