Douglassarachne
| Douglassarachne Temporal range:
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|---|---|
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| Holotype specimen | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Clade: | Pantetrapulmonata
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| Genus: | †Douglassarachne Selden and Dunlop, 2024 |
| Species: | †D. acanthopoda
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| Binomial name | |
| †Douglassarachne acanthopoda Selden and Dunlop, 2024
| |
Douglassarachne is an extinct
This arachnid is characterized by having large spines on its legs. It is unknown which group this arachnid specifically belongs to.
Etymology
The genus is named for the Douglass family who donated the specimen to the Field Museum for study.[1]
History
Douglassarachne is known from Mazon Creek which preserves fossils around 308 million years ago. The fossil was preserved in a
At this time it, was displayed in the Douglass family's Prehistoric Life Museum. In 2023, when it became apparent that this specimen represented a new species, David Douglass donated the specimen to the Field Museum of Natural History so it could be researched.[1]
The specimen is deposited in the collections of the Field Museum of Natural History with the number PE 91366.[3]
Morphology
The arachnid is characterized by four pairs of legs and a body approximately 15 mm (0.59 in) long. The body is divided into an anterior
Classification
The morphology of Douglassarachne does not align with any known arachnid orders. With similarly spiny legs, it superficially resembles certain
Paleoecology
Its spiny legs like some of modern harvestmen suggests that it uses spines for protection from predators. There are multiple taxa from Late Carboniferous with similarly developed spines (such as
References
This article incorporates text from a free content work. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Text taken from A remarkable spiny arachnid from the Pennsylvanian Mazon Creek Lagerstätte, Illinois, Paul A. Selden and Jason A. Dunlop, Journal of Paleontology.
- ^ .
- ^ "308-Million-Year-Old Fossil Arachnid Is An 8-Legged Evolutionary Puzzle". IFLScience. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
- ^ "Phalangiotarbus | Geology Collections". collections-geology.fieldmuseum.org. Retrieved 2024-05-21.