Cuchiadromites jadeae, a new genus and species of primitive crab (Crustacea: Decapoda: Podotremata) from the Aptian of Cantabria (Spain), with comments on its peculiar surface ornament

A new genus and new species of decapod brachyuran, Cuchiadromites jadeae, is recorded and described herein from the Lower Aptian (Early Cretaceous) Patrocinio Formation (Deshayesites forbesi Ammonite Zone) of the coastal cliffs near Cuchía (Cantabria, Spain). Cuchiadromites jadeae gen. et sp. nov., is the fourth species of brachyuran recovered in this locality. The dorsal carapace of the sole specimen preserves sufficient diagnostic characters that allow placement in the family Longodromitidae. The present species exhibits a profuse dorsal ornamentation of fungiform granules that form cauliflower-shaped clusters reminiscent of the ornamentation seen in fossil and extant species of different eubrachyuran families, for instance Parthenopidae or Dairidae, and also in the anomuran families Paguridae or Xylopaguridae, but not described before in podotreme taxa. This could be due to convergence in groups far distant in geological time and systematic placement

A highly diverse dromioid crab assemblage (Decapoda, Brachyura) associated with pinnacle reefs in the lower Eocene of Spain

A highly diverse fauna of dromioid brachyurans from the Serraduy Formation (lower Eocene) in the western Pyrenees (Huesca, Spain) is described and illustrated. Recorded taxa are Mclaynotopus longispinosus new genus new species, Torodromia elongata n. gen. n. sp., Basidromilites glaessneri n. gen. n. sp., ?Basidromilites sp., Sierradromia gladiator n. gen. n. sp., Kromtitis isabenensis n. sp., and ?Basinotopus sp. Other European outcrops have yielded dromioids in association with specific environments, likely coral and sponge reef and siliciclastic soft bottoms; but the present material constitutes the most diverse dromioid assemblage from the lower Eocene worldwide. These dromioids co-occurred with a rich invertebrate fauna and lived near coral–algal reef mounds. Sedimentological data suggest that most of the fauna accumulated in fore reef settings as a result of storm activity. The present material greatly increases the diversity of known dromioid crabs associated with Eocene reef environments.UUID: http://zoobank.org/aed8cafa-7c64-4e70-bd45-9f357fc37a2

Filling the early Eocene gap of paguroids (Decapoda, Anomura): a new highly diversified fauna from the Spanish Pyrenees (Serraduy Formation, Graus-Tremp Basin)

A highly diversified fauna of hermit crabs associated with reef environments from the Serraduy Formation (lower Eocene) in the southern Pyrenees (Huesca, Spain) is described. Other European Eocene outcrops have yielded paguroids associated with a single environment; however, the studied association represents one of the highest paguroid diversities in a single Eocene outcrop worldwide. The new material increases the diversity of known fossil paguroids, including eight species from which six are new: Clibanarius isabenaensis n. sp., Parapetrochirus serratus n. sp., Dardanus balaitus n. sp., ?Petrochirus sp., Eocalcinus veteris n. sp., ?Pagurus sp., Paguristes perlatus n. sp., and Anisopagurus primigenius n. sp. We erected a new combination for Paguristes sossanensis De Angeli and Caporiondo, 2009 and Paguristes cecconi De Angeli and Caporiondo, 2017 and transfer them to the genus Clibanarius. This association contains the oldest record of the genera Eocalcinus and Anisopagurus. Our data demonstrate that paguroids were diverse by the early Eocene in coral-reef environments and fill an important gap between the poorly known Paleocene assemblages and the more diverse mid- to late Eocene ones

New genera and species of glaessneropsid crabs from the Lower and Middle Jurassic of France and Germany-Austria, and reconsolidation of Charassocarcinus Van Straelen, 1925

A new genus, Meroncarcinus, and two new species, M. boursicoti and Verrucarcinus marsae, are described from Callovian (Middle Jurassic) deposits of Calvados and Maine-et-Loire, France. New material of the type species of the genus Verrucarcinus, V. torosus, is examined, which improves our understanding of the peculiar morphology of this group of crabs. A new genus and species, Vilsercarcinus keuppi, is recognised from Lower-Middle Jurassic strata of Germany-Austria. Charassocarcinus, a Lower-Middle Jurassic crustacean genus of doubtful taxonomic affinity, is revived and here assigned to the Glaessneropsidae. All of this material forms the basis for a re-examination of the Glaessneropsidae, and an enhanced diagnosis is compiled. The morphology of Glaessneropsidae, one of the oldest known brachyuran families, is discussed; its complex orbital structure is remarkable for such an ancient group of crab and raises questions about its relationship with the basal brachyuran group Homolodromioidea. A solid support for a suprafamilial rank for the Glaessneropsidae is lacking

Rogueus belgodereae, a new raninoid crab (Crustacea: Brachyura: Raninoidea) from the Upper Palaeocene (Thanetian) of Southern France, with comments on early palaeocene decapod crustacean faunules

Palaeocene crabs are rare globally; crab faunules of this period are mostly described from reefal environments, and little is reported about non-reefal environments. A new raninoid crab is described and formally named from Thanetian (upper Palaeocene) non-reefal deeper water deposits of Boussens, southern France. The new species is assigned to the genus Rogueus, from which only two species were previously known, and this new record suggests the genus was widespread in the European Palaeocene. A rich Palaeocene brachyuran assemblage of this locality is preliminarily presented and briefly discussed. It appears that eubrachyuran crabs dominated this palaeoenvironment. Based on the global fossil record, it appears that brachyuran crabs quickly recovered after the K/Pg extinction event and were able to restock both reefal and non-reefal environments, prior to the explosive diversification of decapods during the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum

Mesozoic-Cenozoic crustaceans preserved within echinoid tests and bivalve shells

Associations of crustaceans with echinoids (Echinodermata) and bivalves (Mollusca) are not uncommon in modern oceans. Here we record the occurrence of anomurans, brachyurans and isopods within echinoid tests and bivalve shells from the Middle Jurassic of France, the Upper Jurassic of the Czech Republic, the Eocene of Croatia and the Miocene of Austria. Additionally a new genus and species of fossil cirolanid isopod from the Middle Jurassic of France is described. The present examples are interpreted as crustacean sheltering, probably for safe and undisturbed moulting (ecdysis), within a vacant host test or shell. However, accidental association (washed in) or even food remains cannot be ruled out entirelyWeb of Science90361160

Origin, early evolution and palaeoecology of Gymnopleura (Crustacea, Decapoda): Basal palaeocorystoid crabs from the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous of central Europe

Recent fieldwork has yielded new decapod crustacean material from Upper Jurassic-lowest Cretaceous bioclastic limestones at Kotou.c quarry near.Stramberk (Moravia, northeastern Czech Republic). Two specimens in this lot can be ascribed to the superfamily Palaeocorystoidea and represent the oldest gymnopleuran crabs known to date. A new genus and species, Moravacarcinus stramberkensis, are here erected and assigned to a new subfamily, Moravacarcininae, to accommodate this basal necrocarcinid. Our re-examination of Late Jurassic primitive crabs from southern Germany has resulted in the discovery of another early member of this group, here referred to a new genus, Juranecrocarcinus, as J. angulosum (Wehner, 1988). These new finds demonstrate that palaeocorystoids originated within shallow-water, reefal settings in the Upper Jurassic reef belt across central and southern Europe. We hypothesise that members of basal necrocarcinid subfamilies (Paranecrocarcininae and Moravacarcininae subfam. nov.), and thus the Gymnopleura, were derived from a dynomeniform ancestor which adapted to and became modified for a burying mode of life. Possible candidates are, for instance, the goniodromitid genus Cycloprosopon L.orenthey, in L.orenthey and Beurlen, 1929 and the longodromitid genera Longodromites Patrulius, 1959 and Planoprosopon Schweitzer, Feldmann and Laz.ar, 2007. The evolutionary pathways and palaeogeographical history of Mesozoic gymnopleurans were markedly influenced by the planktonic revolution which considerably enriched deeper-marine clastic sediments with nutrients from the Late Jurassic onwards.Web of Science564art. no. 11017

An Aptian sponge-associated decapod crustacean assemblage from Cal Cassanyes (Catalonia, north-east Iberian Peninsula): Taxonomy and palaeoecological implications

A highly diverse decapod crustacean fauna is described from the classic Aptian outcrop of Cal Cassanyes (Castellet i la Gornal) in Catalonia. Although decapod crustaceans are a minor component of the rich invertebrate assemblages at that locality, the just over fifty specimens collected comprise sixteen taxa assignable to the Macrura, Anomura and Brachyura. Of these, the last-named are the most prominent group, comprising eleven species, representing seven families, inclusive of one representative of the Eubrachyura. On the basis of this material, two new genera and five new species are erected, namely Pagurus? garrafensis sp. nov., Garrafosopon gen. nov. angustus (Wright and Collins, 1972) comb. nov., Vectis blesai sp. nov., Mesodromilites prietoi sp. nov., Necrocarcinus mariae sp. nov. and Iberodorippe vinea gen. nov., sp. nov. In addition, Hoploparia sp., an indeterminate axiid and one paguroid, as well as one indeterminate galatheoid are recorded here. Material of Distefania incerta (Bell, 1863), the commonest species at the study site by far, of Goniodromites laevis (Van Straelen, 1940) and of Etyxanthosia fossa (Wright and Collins, 1972) represents the first Aptian and stratigraphically oldest records for these taxa. Added to this list are also Eodromites sp., Paranecrocarcinus? sp. and Pseudonecrocarcinus? sp. The high decapod crustacean diversity at Cal Cassanyes establishes this locality as the richest Aptian assemblage from the Iberian Peninsula, but also one of the richest in the world. The faunal assemblages here are dominated by sponges, and the varied composition of the decapod crustacean faunas can be linked to upwelling currents which provided abundant nutrients. In fact, the establishment of sponge communities played a crucial role in activating the food chain and functioned similarly to a patch reef, creating a relatively sheltered environment that facilitated the colonisation of other invertebrate communities, including decapod crustaceans. The latter occupied various trophic levels as both primary and secondary consumers. Current knowledge of Early Cretaceous decapod crustaceans is scant and hinders a thorough palaeobiogeographical analysis. The present study emphasises the challenges surrounding the identification of endemic taxa, thus impacting our understanding of decapod crustacean palaeobiogeography of the late Early Cretaceous

A reconsideration of the palinuroid family Synaxidae (Crustacea, Decapoda), with a new member from the Upper Jurassic of southern Poland

Representatives of the family Synaxidae, commonly referred to as furry lobsters, are rare constituents of modern-day marine communities, while their fossil record suggests that they were more common in the past, in reefal settings during the Late Jurassic across Europe, from where at least three species have been recorded to date. An overview of all known extant and extinct synaxids is presented here and a sixth fossil form is added to the list. The latter constitutes one of the earliest records to date of furry lobsters worldwide and extends the palaeogeographical range of this relatively small group of early palinuroids. It was collected from massive sponge-microbial build-ups (reefal limestones) of middle Oxfordian age (Gregoryceras transversarium ammonite Zone) near Kraków, southern Poland, and is here named Palaeosynaxes montserratae nov. gen., nov. sp

Comment on the letter of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) dated April 21, 2020 regarding “Fossils from conflict zones and reproducibility of fossil‑based scientific data”: Myanmar amber

Non peer reviewe