| Rhenopterus Temporal range: Lower Devonian |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Merostomata |
| Order: | †Eurypterida |
| Superfamily: | †Rhenopteroidea |
| Family: | †Rhenopteridae |
| Genus: | †Rhenopterus Størmer, 1936 |
| Type species | |
| Rhenopterus diensti Størmer, 1936 |
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| Species | |
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See text. |
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Rhenopterus is an extinct prehistoric eurypterid. Rhenopterus lived in the Lower Devonian period in Europe and possibly North America.
Rhenopterids were small, characterized by scattered tubercules and knobs on the outer surface of the exoskeleton. Their first two (or possibly three) pairs of walking legs had spines; the last two pairs were long and powerful, without spines. The prosoma (head) was subtrapezoidal, with arcuate compound eyes on parallel axes. The male genital appendages were short with two distal spines[1].