A new eurypterid from the Late Ordovician Table Mountain Group, South Africa
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An exceptionally preserved eurypterid, Onychopterella augusti sp. nov., is described from the Soom Shale Member of the Cedarberg Formation, Table Mountain Group, of Cape Province, South Africa, extending the temporal range of this genus into the late Ordovician and providing the first occurrence in Gondwana. O. augusti can be distinguished from related taxa by the shorter proportions of the postabdomen, lanceolate telson, the large anterior projection of podomere seven and the long terminal spine of the sixth prosomal appendage. The level of preservation is such that traces of internal soft tissues, rarely preserved in eurypterids, can be discerned, including muscular tissue associated with the appendages and telson, respiratory structures (areas of branchial chambers), and an apparently spiral valve in the anterior part of the alimentary canal.
Palaeontology - Volume 38 Part 3 Pages 563-581Palaeontology - Volume 38 Part 3 Pages 563-581
Citations
BRADDY, S. J., ALDRIDGE, R. J., THERON, J. N. 1995. A new eurypterid from the Late Ordovician Table Mountain Group, South Africa. Palaeontology, 38, 3, 563–581.