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Brontoscorpio is an extinct genus of possible scorpion that lived in the Early Devonian. Remains of the only known species, Brontoscorpio anglicus, were discovered in the St. Maughan's Formation,[1][2] Lochkovian-aged (previously also considered as late Silurian)[3] sandstone from Trimpley, Worcestershire.[3]
| Brontoscorpio Temporal range: Lochkovian | |
|---|---|
.png) | |
| Known fossil of Brontoscorpio anglicus, free finger of right pedipalp | |
 | |
| Size estimation of Brontoscorpio anglicus, with the only evident region (free finger of right pedipalp) highlighted in dark grey | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Scorpiones |
| Family: | incertae sedis |
| Genus: | †Brontoscorpio Kjellesvig-Waering, 1972 |
| Species: | †B. anglicus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Brontoscorpio anglicus Kjellesvig-Waering, 1972 | |
Taxonomic history
editBrontoscorpio anglicus was described by Kjellesvig-Waering (1972) on the basis of an incomplete single free finger of a right pedipalp (specimens NHMUK PI In 31 405), almost 10 cm (3.9 in) long, alongside the impressions made by the finger on its surrounding sediment.[3][4] The complete animal is estimated to have been 77.2–91.5 cm (2.5–3.0 ft) long for females and 86.2–94 cm (2.8–3.1 ft) long for males,[3] possibly making Brontoscorpio one of the largest known scorpions. The species is characterized by the presence of single condyle and row of thick tubercles on the pedipalp free finger.[3] However, its identity as a scorpion should be treated with caution due to the fragmentary known material of Brontoscorpio and the fact that chelate appendages are also found in other groups of arthropods,[5] and Braddy (2024) suggested that Brontoscorpio might represent a dactylus of a crustacean instead.[6]
Howard et al. (2026) regarded Brontoscorpio anglicus as a junior synonym of Praearcturus gigas, another giant scorpion species from the St Maughans Formation. Other fossils of Praearcturus allow a more complete reconstruction of the rest of the body.[7]
Ecology
editThe remains were found in terrestrial sediments, showing evidence of Brontoscorpio being terrestrial. Brontoscorpio may have gone ashore to escape predation, but due to its size, it would have had difficulty supporting its weight on land and likely lived a primarily aquatic life.[8]
References
edit- ↑ "Fossilworks: Brontoscorpio". fossilworks.org. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ↑ Dunlop, J. A., Penney, D. & Jekel, D. 2020. A summary list of fossil spiders and their relatives. In World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch , version 20.5
- 1 2 3 4 5 Kjellesvig-Waering, Erik N. (1972). "Brontoscorpio anglicus: a gigantic Lower Paleozoic scorpion from central England". Journal of Paleontology. 46 (1): 39–42. JSTOR 1302906.
- ↑ Jeram, Andrew J. "Phylogeny, classification and evolution of Silurian and Devonian scorpions". In Selden, Paul A. (ed.). Proceedings of the 17th European Colloquium of Arachnology, Edinburgh 1997, 1998 (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2011-04-05.
- ↑ Dunlop, Jason A.; Garwood, Russell J. (2024-12-06). "A review of fossil scorpion higher systematics". PeerJ. 12 e18557. doi:10.7717/peerj.18557. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 11627080. PMID 39655336.
- ↑ Braddy, S. J. (2024). "Carcinosomatoid eurypterid palaeoecology and phylogeny: ichnology and palaeocommunities". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie – Abhandlungen. 312 (2): 167–181. Bibcode:2024NJGPA.312..167B. doi:10.1127/njgpa/2024/1206.
- ↑ Howard, Richard J.; Garwood, Russell J.; Edgecombe, Gregory D.; Legg, David A. (2026). "A revision of Praearcturus gigas : a giant scorpion from the Lower Devonian (Lochkovian) of Britain". Palaeontology. 69 (3) e70064. doi:10.1111/pala.70064. ISSN 0031-0239.
- ↑ The Biology of scorpions. Polis, Gary A., 1946-. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press. 1990. ISBN 0804712492. OCLC 18991506.
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