A Web Page by Roy J. Beckemeyer - photos and information on his wonderful reconstructions provided by Werner Kraus.  Images ©2002 by Werner Kraus.

Last updated: 9 August 2002

The life-sized and lifelike reconstructions of Palaeozoic arthropods shown on here were built with consumate craftmanship and artistry by eminent preparator Werner Kraus of RWTH Aachen University in Germany.  He worked with palaeontologist Prof. Carsten Brauckmann of the University of Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany to insure the reconstructions were the most accurate representations possible of these magnificent animals.  Please do not use these photos without first asking the permission of Werner Kraus.  Thank you, and thanks to Werner for sharing his work with us.

This gigantic myriapod is an Arthropleura species.  Known from the Upper Carboniferous, these huge invertebrates reached 2 meters (6 and a half feet) in length and 48 cm (19 inches) in width.  Today's millipedes and centipedes are much smaller, although some tropical species are of moderate size.  Werner Kraus constructed this model for the Naturkundemuseum in Augsburg, Germany.

Scepasma mediomatricorum is the largest palaeodictyopteran from Europe.  The reconstruction is full size and has a wingspan of 45 cm (18 inches) and a total length (including the long abdominal appendages called cerci) of 80 cm (31and a half inches).  The largest member of the Palaeodictyoptera known was Mazothairos enormis from the Mazon Creek, Illinois deposits, which had a wingspan estimated at 56 cm (22 inches).  These insects had sucking mouthparts and likely fed on plant sap or pollen.  This reconstruction is in the University Museum of Clausthal-Zellerfeld.

Namurotypus sippeli is one of the oldest and most complete dragonfly fossils ever found.  It was discovered at the famous Hagen-Vorhalle site in Germany.  It flew during the Upper Carboniferous some 325 million years ago.  Its wingspan is 32 cm (12 and a half inches).  Assigned to the Protodonata: Meganeuridae, it was described by Brauckmann and Zessin in 1989.  

Here is Werner Kraus working on my favorite of his reconstructions, a life-size Meganeuropsis permiana.  This insect, described by Frank Carpenter in 1939 from wing fragments taken from the famous Elmo, Kansas site, has the largest wingspan of any insect known.  This impressive insect had a wingspan of 72 cm (over 28 inches), and a total length of 43 cm (almost 17 inches).  Werner's model is sitting in a reconstructed Permo-Carboniferous swamp habitat, with Lepidodendron and Cordaites plants.  This reconstruction is in the Clausthal-Zellerfeld University Museum.

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