Bassipterus (meaning "Bass wing") was a prehistoric genus of eurypterid found in deposits of West Virginia and Maryland. It is part of the family Adelophthalmidae and has a single species, B. virgnicus.
Bassipterus (meaning "Bass wing") was a prehistoric genus of eurypterid found in deposits of West Virginia and Maryland. It is part of the family Adelophthalmidae and has a single species, B. virgnicus.
Bassipterus has a round, tray-shaped head and the carapace is surrounded by a marginal rim. The swimming legs of this creature are Hughmilleria-type and the genital operculum could mean Bassipterus is closely related to another genus called Pittsfordipterus.
Bassipterus was described by paleontologists Erik Norman Kjellesvig-Waering and Kenneth Edward Caster. Since Bassipterus translates to "wing of Bass", most fossils of this genus were found in Bass, West Virginia and a carapace was also discovered in Cumberland, Maryland.
