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

Recently, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) has sent around a letter, dated 21st April, 2020 to more than 300 palaeontological journals, signed by the President, Vice President and a former President of the society (Rayfield et al. 2020). The signatories of this letter request significant changes to the common practices in palaeontology. With our present, multi-authored comment, we aim to argue why these suggestions will not lead to improvement of both practice and ethics of palaeontological research but, conversely, hamper its further development. Although we disagree with most contents of the SVP letter, we appreciate this initiative to discuss scientific practices and the underlying ethics. Here, we consider different aspects of the suggestions by Rayfield et al. (2020) in which we see weaknesses and dangers. It is our intent to compile views from many different fields of palaeontology, as our discipline is (and should remain) pluralistic. This contribution deals with the aspects concerning Myanmar amber. Reference is made to Haug et al. (2020a) for another comment on aspects concerning amateur palaeontologists/citizen scientists/private collectors

A new spiny lobster from the Upper Jurassic Štramberk-type limestones of Inwałd, Andrychów Klippen, southern Poland

A new palinurid, Palaeopalinurus czarnieckii, is recorded from Upper Tithonian Štramberk-type limestones at Inwałd, southern Poland. The specimen shows better preservation anteriorly than available specimens of the type species of the genus. As fossil members of the Palinuridae in the Jurassic are scarce, the present specimen adds new important morphological and palaeogeographical data towards a better understanding of the evolution of the Achelata

A new paguroid from the type Maastrichtian (upper Cretaceous, the Netherlands) and erection of a new family

On the basis of a fragmentary carapace a new extinct paguroid, Annuntidiogenes massetispinosus n. sp., is described from the upper Meerssen Member (Maastricht Formation, upper Maastrichtian) of the Maastrichtian type area in the southeast Netherlands. The new taxon represents the fifth and stratigraphically youngest member of this Mesozoic genus that shows a remarkably close resemblance to the extant diogenids Aeropaguristes Rahayu and McLaughlin, 201

Polymorphy and extinction of the Late Cretaceous burrowing shrimp Protocallianassa faujasi and first record of the genera Corallianassa and Calliax (Crustacea, Decapoda, Thalassinoidca) from the Cretaceous

A biometric study of chelae of the burrowing shrimp Protocallianassa faujasi (Desmarest, 1822), from the late Maastrichtian of the Maastrichtian type area, The Netherlands, has revealed three morphotypes. These types are interpreted as sexual dimorphs (male and female) and earliest ecdysis stages (immature male). Among the studied material are fifteen specimens of a new Cretaceous callianassid, Corallianassa acucurvata new species, one specimen provisionally assigned to the genus Calliax and a callianassid from the Danian. Burrows preserving callianassid chelae in situ are discussed. Based on burrow morphology a suspension feeding mode of life for P. faujasi is inferred, whereas C. acucurvata n. sp. probably was an active omnivorous analogue of its closest Recent relatives. The extinction of P. faujasi in the Meerssen Member appears to correspond to the increase in seagrass vegetation. The Protocallianassa-Corallianassa faunal changeover took place about 100,000 yrs before the K/T boundary in this region

New Cretaceous crabs (Crustacea, Brachyura) from Moscow Oblast and Dagestan (Russia): patterns in phylogeny and morphospace of the oldest eubrachyurans (Dorippoidea)

Four new brachyuran species, assigned to two new genera and one existing genus, are recorded from Lower and Upper Cretaceous strata of Moscow Oblast (Moskovskaya Oblast) and Dagestan, Russia. Three new taxa, Personadorippe levashiensis gen. et sp. nov., Levashidromites cornutus gen. et sp. nov. and Vectis collinsi sp. nov., were recovered from Aptian strata in Dagestan; these constitute the first formal description of Cretaceous crabs from the northern Caucasus. Of these, Personadorippe levashiensis gen. et sp. nov. represents one of the oldest eubrachyuran crabs known to date, being of middle Aptian age and thus predating the late Aptian Telamonocarcinus antiquus Luque, 2014 (see Luque, 2014a) from Colombia. A single carapace of Personadorippe kalashnikovi gen. et sp. nov. constitutes the first ever record of crabs from Upper Cretaceous deposits of the Moscow region. Vectis collinsi sp. nov. represents only the third species of the genus, and the first outside the United Kingdom. The genus Vectis is reassessed and here reassigned to the Viaiidae, which now comprises three genera. Rathbunopon? atherfieldense Wright, 1997 is also transferred to Vectis. The family Longodromitidae is here restricted to six genera, inclusive of Levashidromites gen. nov., and a new diagnosis is supplied. Navarrara, previously assigned to the Longodromitidae, is reassigned to the Telamonocarcinidae. Withersella is also transferred to the Telamonocarcinidae; the genus constitutes the oldest dorippoid (and hence, currently assigned eubrachyuran) crab. Personadorippe gen. nov., here described on the basis of two new species, follows shortly after. Eodorippe connori Nyborg, Garassino, Vega and Kovalchuck, 2019 is here reassigned to Personadorippe gen. nov. Carapace tripartition and branchial condensation, i.e., the ratio between the median carapace portion and the relative distance of the branchial groove to the cervical groove, are here used as important proxy characters for reconsidering the taxonomic placement of primitive crabs. Phylogenetic analyses and assessment of phylomorphospace have revealed that the new genera described herein are part of a Jurassic–Cretaceous radiation of primitive crabs. This radiation proceeded via a high-magnitude morphological shift away from the morphology typical of Tanidromites, with subsequent expansion in all directions of morphospaces occupied

Paguroid anomurans from the upper Tithonian–lower Berriasian of Štramberk, Moravia (Czech Republic)

Subsequent to a preliminary report on a handful of paguroid remains from the Tithonian (uppermost Jurassic) to lower Berriasian (Lower Cretaceous) Štramberk Limestone in Moravia (eastern Czech Republic), published in 2013, several field campaigns were organised by our research team during the summers of 2012–2015 and 2018. These resulted in the recovery of additional paguroid shields (or, anterior carapaces) that form the basis of the present study. The currently available material documents a diverse paguroid fauna. In fact, it ranks amongst the most diverse fossil paguroid assemblages known, following faunas from the upper Kimmeridgian of Nusplingen (southern Germany) and the Tithonian of Ernstbrunn (northeast Austria). New representatives of five families and five genera are described, named and illustrated, as follows: Annuntidiogenes sagittula sp. nov. (Diogenidae), Protopagurus cerebellum sp. nov. and Protopagurus duopupae sp. nov. (Paguridae), Mesoparapylocheles janetjacksonae sp. nov. (Parapylochelidae), Masticacheles septemgradu sp. nov. (Pilgrimchelidae) and Ammopylocheles romankijoki sp. nov. (Pylochelidae)

Hispanigalathea raymondcaseyi, a new squat lobster (Crustacea, Decapoda, Galatheoidea) from the Gault (Albian) of Folkestone, England

A new species of galatheoid from the upper Albian (Gault Clay Formation) of Folkestone, Kent (England) described herein, represents the first squat lobster on record from the highly fossiliferous Gault strata in the Anglo-Paris Basin. Normally, squat lobsters are commoner in reef settings of this age. The new species is assigned to the genus Hispanigalathea Klompmaker et al., 2012, which was so far known only from Albian–Cenomanian reef deposits of Navarra, northern Spain

New early Paleocene (Danian) paguroids from deep-water coral/bryozoan mounds at Faxe, eastern Denmark

During recent decades, decapod crustacean faunas from middle Danian (lower Paleocene) strata at Faxe (Sjælland, Denmark) have been studied in detail. However, paguroid anomurans have not yet been described formally. Two new species of hermit crab have lately been recognised in the collections of the Geomuseum Faxe. Percentages of total paguroid assemblages and feeding behaviour derived from the morphology of its chelae indicate that one of these, Dardanus faxensis sp. nov., as a generalist, was better adapted to inhabit the deep-water reefal environment of the Faxe carbonates than the more specialised, suspension-feeding Paguristes frigoscopulus sp. nov

The oldest record of galatheoid anomurans (Decapoda, Crustacea) from Normandy, northwest France

(IF 0.78 [2018]; Q3)International audienceTwo galatheoid anomurans, Gastrosacus raboeufi n. sp. and G. sp., the earliest members of the genus Gastrosacus von Meyer, 1851 known to date, are recorded from upper Bathonian strata in Calvados (Normandy, France). In this respect, we consider the enigmatic Palaeomunidopsis moutieri Van Straelen, 1925 from the middle Bathonian of Giberville (Normandy) to be a nomen dubium. As far as carapace morphology of G. raboeufi n. sp. is concerned, we note that it reveals a number of primitive characters that are indicative of a close relationship with the Gastrodoridae amongst paguroid anomurans

The first record of a paguroid shield (Decapoda, Anomura, Annuntidiogenidae) from the Miocene of Cyprus

For the first time, a paguroid shield is recorded from upper Miocene reefal strata (Koronia Member, Pakhna Formation) that crop out along the northern margin of the Troodos Massif, north of the village of Mitsero, Cyprus. Described here as Paguristes joecollinsi sp. nov., it constitutes the first paguroid shield known from Miocene deposits. The paucity of Cenozoic paguroid shields can probably be linked to a collecting bias in view of their relatively small size; in addition, suitable gastropod shells and internal moulds of such should be screened for ‘hidden’ hermit crabs