An excellent specimen of a most unusual arthropod. It is dominated by a very large pair of appendages (chelifores), each 110mm long, with a distal claw. One of these is seen here complete (right), attached to the body (centre), the other has broken away, but is mostly present beneath 3 of the legs (top right). The abdomen has broken, but all six legs are present, 3 still attached to part of the body (top left), and all show feathery spines. There 2 pairs of anterior appendiges, and here one can be seen to end in a fierce pincer (bottom centre). Thought to be an active predator, probably feeding on crinoids. Only found in the Hunsruck slates in the Bundenbach area of Germany about 390 Ma old
Size: 205 x 115mm on a block 215 x 50mm
Size: 205 x 115mm on a block 215 x 50mm