Pruemopterus information

Pruemopterus Temporal range: Lower Emsian, 407.6 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Illustration of PWL 2014/5186-LSb, the counterpart portion of the holotype specimen of P. salgadoi
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Order:	†Eurypterida
Superfamily:	†Adelophthalmoidea
Family:	†Adelophthalmidae
Genus:	†Pruemopterus Poschmann, 2020
Species:	†P. salgadoi
Binomial name
†Pruemopterus salgadoi Poschmann, 2020

Pruemopterus is a genus of eurypterid, an extinct group of aquatic arthropods. The type and only species of Pruemopterus, P. salgadoi, is known only from a single fossil specimen discovered in geological deposits of Early Devonian age in Germany. The name of the genus is derived from the Prüm river and the surrounding Prüm valley, which contains the finding place of the fossil, and the Ancient Greek πτερόν (pteron, "wing"), referring to the eurypterid swimming paddles, and the species name honors the Brazilian photographer and photojournalist Sebastião Salgado.

Pruemopterus was a very small adelophthalmid eurypterid, with the only known specimen measuring about 2.5 centimeters (0.98 in) in length. Although superficially similar to the related genus Parahughmilleria, Pruemopterus can be distinguished from other adelophthalmids by several features, most notably its wide and vaguely rectangular carapace (head plate) and its rounded, rather than elongated, eyes. Pruemopterus lived alongside other Early Devonian animals, including several other eurypterid genera, in a shallow brackish to fresh water environment.