Scientists verified the “great spider”. What is megar really?

Paleontologists announced the discovery of the “largest spider in history” in 1980. Megarchne, as they called the gigantic creature with eight legs, turned out to be a completely different species. Scientists presented the latest knowledge on this subject.

Megorachne is not a spider?

Megarchne began to talk when paleontologist Mario Huenken discovered his imprint in the rock from central Argentina dated 300 million years. The researcher noticed the features of a spider in the casting and announced that he had to have a leg with a span about half a meter.

Looking at photos from gypsum models, it is not difficult to understand why megar was identified as a spider. It looks like a giant tarantula, with a huge abdomen, eight legs and two eyes similar to the eyes on the front.

Over the years, megar has been described as “the biggest spider in history.” His body length was estimated at 34 cm, and the leg span was 50 cm. So he exceeded the other spider species, previously considered record -breaking – Theraphosa Blondi. After 25 years, however, Huenken’s assessment began to be undermined.

Megorachne. What was this creature actually?

In 2005, after a thorough analysis, which was subjected to Megarchne, paleontologists Paul Selden, Jose Corronca and Huenken himself announced a breakthrough. They found that the examined object is not a spider, but a multiple (Eurypterida), i.e. a representative of an extinct cluster of arthropods, colloquially known as water scorpions.

The researchers were published in “Biology Letters”. Selden emphasized that megar armor has more similarities to Euripterids than spiders. The shape, structure and patterns in the armor have helped to assign a specimen to myctteroptid (Myctteropidae).

Myctteroptides are freshwater euripterids, living mainly in South Africa and Scotland. Huenken, though wrong, was not mistaken. Both spiders and euripterids belong to the same group – jaw -like (chelicets).