Mazon Creek Best Of The Best Geralinara Carbonaria Scudder, 1884

[RCFossils]

This is a creature that many collectors are not even aware exists in the Mazon Creek Deposit.

This unusual animal is commonly known as a whip scorpion. While it is an arachnid and resembles a scorpion , it belongs to a district order called Uropygids.

Whip scorpion are incredibly rare in the fossil record. A handful have been described with the earliest known specimens dating back to the Devonian.

Any arachnids in the Mazon Creek deposits are considered a rarity. In a faunal study that I referenced in an earlier post, out of 230,000 concretions collected at Pit 11, nine arachnids were found.

Uropygids have been estimated to make up approximately 3% of the arachnids found in the Mazon Creek deposit deposit (do the math)!

Modern whip scorpions are non venomous and feed on insects, scorpions and in some cases lizards.

The long whip like tail helps to detect vibrations.

Modern whip scorpion do have an interesting defense weapon.

When disturbed, they can spray a solution primarily consisting of acetic acid to thwart off predators.

This amazing specimen was found at Pit 11 on May 3rd 1981.

The gentleman who collected it, brought it to the Field Museum and had Dr Eugene Richardson study and prep it.

Richardson stated that it was the best example that he had ever seen.

It was identified by Dr Richardson as Prothelyphonus giganteus.

Geralinura and Prothelyphonus are the only 2 Uropygids described from the Mazon Creek Deposit.

I am not certain which species it is and really need an arachnid expert to look at it.

[RCFossils]

[Tidgy's Dad]

Amazing! 

And you're right, I've never heard of this one before. 

[grandpa]

A truly fantastic specimen.

 

BTW, here in W. Tx and in N. Mex we have this guy's relative called a vinegaroon. It releases a strong smelling acetic acid as its defense, hence the name.

https://www.whatsthatbug.com/2008/07/23/giant-vinegaroon-2/

[Nimravis]

Dr. Richardson did some nice prep work on that piece.

[deutscheben]

What an astonishing specimen, and the association with Eugene Richardson makes it even more special (if that is possible with a fossil as well-preserved and incredibly rare as this one!).

[FossilDAWG]

That is an amazing specimen!  

    

 

If Dr.Richardson identified it as Prothelyphonus giganteous, why do you need an arachnid expert to ID it?  Were other arachnid species described after Dr.Richardson worked on it?

 

BTW I'm confused about the math.  3% of 9 arachnids is 0,27 specimens.

 

Don

[Phevo]

35 minutes ago, FossilDAWG said:

That is an amazing specimen!  

    

 

If Dr.Richardson identified it as Prothelyphonus giganteous, why do you need an arachnid expert to ID it?  Were other arachnid species described after Dr.Richardson worked on it?

 

BTW I'm confused about the math.  3% of 9 arachnids is 0,27 specimens.

 

Don

 

The amount of nodules needed to find one Uropygids would be roughly 843333,3 nodules. ((33/9)*230000), (where 33 is the amount of nodules for finding 1 Uropygid, based on the amount of arachnids found)

 

The odds of finding something like that is pretty astounding 

 

Best regards

[piranha]

8 hours ago, FossilDAWG said:

If Dr.Richardson identified it as Prothelyphonus giganteous, why do you need an arachnid expert to ID it?  Were other arachnid species described after Dr.Richardson worked on it?

 

 

According to Tetlie & Dunlop 2008, there are a bunch of synonymy issues with Geralinura and Prothelyphonus.  Prothelyphonus giganteus is a synonym of Geralinura carbonaria Scudder 1884.  Prothelyphonus is retained only for the Czech species: Prothelyphonus bohemicus

 

Tetlie, O.E., Dunlop, J.A. 2008

Geralinura carbonaria (Arachnida; Uropygi) from Mazon Creek, Illinois, USA, and the origin of subchelate pedipalps in whip scorpions. Journal of Paleontology, 82(2):299-312

 

"The characters previously used (cf. Petrunkevitch, 1913, 1949) to separate the three Mazon Creek whip scorpion species are rejected as misinterpretations based on a poor understanding of taphonomy; thus we here synonymize the two youngest names with the oldest available name."

[TheRocksWillShoutHisGlory]

This ia my favorite specimen that I've seen in your gallery.  Really lives up to the best of the best title.

 

Do you have any information on the initial discovery of the species?  Lucky find back in 1884?

[RCFossils]

4 hours ago, piranha said:

 

 

According to Tetlie & Dunlop 2008, there are a bunch of synonymy issues with Geralinura and Prothelyphonus.  Prothelyphonus giganteus is a synonym of Geralinura carbonaria Scudder 1884.  Prothelyphonus is retained only for the Czech species: Prothelyphonus bohemicus

 

Tetlie, O.E., Dunlop, J.A. 2008

Geralinura carbonaria (Arachnida; Uropygi) from Mazon Creek, Illinois, USA, and the origin of subchelate pedipalps in whip scorpions. Journal of Paleontology, 82(2):299-312

 

"The characters previously used (cf. Petrunkevitch, 1913, 1949) to separate the three Mazon Creek whip scorpion species are rejected as misinterpretations based on a poor understanding of taphonomy; thus we here synonymize the two youngest names with the oldest available name."

As always, thanks again to Piranha for the clarification.

I should have been a bit more clear in my initial post.

I sent this specimen to the author of the paper (Jason Dunlop) approximately ten years ago.

He was the one who identified it as Geralinura. It is not a surprise that the MC Prothelyphonus Is likely the same animal as Geralinura.

 

[siteseer]

Hi RCFossils,

 

Those are the nicest photos I've seen of a Mazon Creek whip scorpion.  I have a friend who has studied modern ones.  I think he has one in Dominican amber (they don't have a tail).

 

Jess