Chimerarachne, a Cretaceous spider with a tail!

[Halichoeres]

Another incredible Burmese amber find. It was already supposed that spiders evolved from tailed arachnids, but it was thought that they would have been exclusively Paleozoic. To find one in Cretaceous amber shows that they persisted longer than anyone thought and even raises the remote possibility that a tiny species or two might still persist in southeast Asia.

Paper (paywall): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-017-0449-3

BBC write-up: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-42945813

fossil:

[WarrenJB]

The abdominal tergites remind me of liphistiid spiders - which are also found in that part of the world. (Edit - bah! The Beeb beat me to it.) Though overall, and especially noticing the wee pedipalp pincers in the illustration, it really resembles the Thelyphonida vinegaroons too. Chimerarachne indeed!

[Ravonium]

it really resembles the Thelyphonida vinegaroons too.

Yep, that's what I thought when I first saw the amber specimen as well. I wonder if the tail would have been used in a similar way as well (as a sensory organ).


Anyways, thanks for sharing. This is definitely one of the more interesting arthropod specimens found in the last few months, even in terms of amber specimens, which are nearly, if not always beatifully preserved.

[Megalosaurus]

Pretty interezting species

[amargasaurus cazaui]

Have the PDF of this, if anyone wants it emailed drop me a pm with your email and I will send it along to you