Kreischeria is a genus of extinct trigonotarbid arachnids known from the Carboniferous of Germany.

Kreischeria
Temporal range: Late Carboniferous, 332.9–298.9 Ma
Kreischeria specimen at Vienna
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Trigonotarbida
Family: Kreischeriidae
Genus: Kreischeria
Geinitz, 1882
Type species
Kreischeria wiedei
Geinitz, 1882

In a redescription of the genus, Kreischeria wiedei was recognised by Rößler and Dunlop as by far largest of all trigontarbids, measuring around 51 millimetres (2.0 in) in length.[1]

History edit

Kreischeria was first described by Geinitz in 1882, where it was erroneously identified as a Pseudoscorpion. Haase later identified the genus correctly as a trigontarbid, but under the original name Anthracomarti. Fairly recently, the holotype was rediscovered after being lost for many years, and in 1997 the genus was described in detail.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Ronny Rößler & Jason A. Dunlop (1997). "Redescription of the largest trigonotarbid arachnid – Kreischeria wiedei Geinitz 1882 from the Upper Carboniferous of Zwickau, Germany". Paläontologische Zeitschrift. 71 (3–4): 237–245. doi:10.1007/BF02988493. S2CID 129447249.

Further reading edit

  • J. A. Dunlop, D. Penney, and D. Jekel. 2013. A summary list of fossil spiders and their relatives. In N. Platnick (ed.), The World Spider Catalog, version 14.0. American Museum of Natural History