Ibericancridae, a new dakoticancroid family (Decapoda, Brachyura, Podotremata) from the upper Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) of Spain

Abstract

A small faunule of crabs from the upper Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) of Valencia, eastern Spain, is described as Ibericancer sanchoi n. gen., n. sp., and assigned to a new family, the Ibericancridae n. fam., which is placed in the Dakoticancroidea Rathbun, 1917, until now known to comprise a single family, Dakoticancridae Rathbun, 1917, restricted to the Upper Cretaceous of North America and northeast Mexico. The Ibericancridae n. fam. shares with the Dakoticancridae the general shape and size of the carapace, the arrangement of dorsal regions of the carapace, a pleural suture situated at carapace flanks, insertion of a sternal thoracic portion between abdomen and coxae of the pereiopods, and long P2 and P3. Ibericancer n. gen. differs from the four genera currently included in the Dakoticancridae (Dakoticancer Rathbun, 1917; Tetracarcinus Weller, 1905; Avitelmessus Rathbun, 1923 and Seorsus Bishop, 1988), in having P4 and P5 conspicuously reduced and subdorsal in position, a narrower thoracic sternum, and distinct frontal and orbital features. Because the male and female gonopores are located on the pereiopods, P5 and P3 coxae, respectively, and the spermathecal aperture is at the extremity of the thoracic suture 7/8, the Dakoticancroidea conforms to the Podotremata Guinot, 1977. It is here interpreted as a carcinised podotreme superfamily, the broadening of the thoracic sternum being weak in the Ibericancridae n. fam., but distinct in the Dakoticancridae. Dakoticancroid crabs probably employed a carrying behaviour, as do most podotremes, and were characterised by an abdominal holding of the press button type. Morphological characters of the Ibericancridae n. fam. add significantly to our knowledge of the evolutionary processes within the Podotremata.

Systematic List of Fossil Decapod Crustacean Species

“…Family Lithodidae † Samouelle, 1819 Paralomis † White, 1856 (56, (5, 0, 2) P. corallinus P. leganyii Parapaguridae Smith, 1882 No fossil representatives Pylochelidae Bate, 1888 No fossil representatives Pylojacquesidae McLaughlin & Lemaitre, 2001 No fossil representatives Infraorder BRACHYURA Linnaeus, 1758 Section Dromiacea De Haan, 1833Superfamily Eocarcinoidea Withers, 1932a Family Eocarcinidae † † Withers, 1932a Eocarcinus † † Withers, 1932a (0, 0, 1) E. praecursor Withers, 1932a (type) Superfamily Dakoticancroidea † † Rathbun, 1917a Family Ibericancridae Ibericancer (0, 0, 1) I. sanchoi Artal et al, 2008 (type) Family Dakoticancridae † † Rathbun, 1917a Avitelmessus † † Rathbun, 1923a (0, 0, 1) A. grapsoideus Rathbun, 1923a (type) Dakoticancer † † Rathbun, 1917a (0, 0, 2) D. australis D. overanus Rathbun, 1917a (type) Seorsus † † Bishop, 1988a (0, 0, 1) S. wadei Bishop, 1988a (type) Tetracarcinus † † Weller, 1905 (0, 0, 1) T. subquadratus Weller, 1905 (type) Superfamily Homolodromioidea Alcock, 1900a Family Homolodromiidae † Alcock, 1900a Antarctidromia † † Förster et al, 1985 (0, 0, 1) A. inflata Förster et al, 1985 (type) Eoprosopon † † Förster, 1986 (0, 0, 1) E. klugi Förster, 1986 (type) Homolodromia † A. Milne-Edwards, 1880a (5, 0, 2) H. chaneyi † † Feldmann & Wilson, 1988 H. novaezelandica † † Feldmann, 1993 Palehomola † † Rathbun, 1926a (0, 0, 1) P. gorrelli Rathbun, 1926a (type) Preclarocarcinus † † Schweitzer, Feldmann,Ćosović, Ross & Waugh, 2009 (0, 0, 1) P. parvus …”

Remarks on Inachoididae Dana, 1851, with the description of a new genus and the resurrection of Stenorhynchinae Dana, 1851, and recognition of the inachid subfamily Podochelinae Neumann, 1878 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura, Majoidea)

“…Fossil crabs, which can contribute information on the sequence of evolutionary changes, provide some crucial evidence. Multiple locking teeth in the form of three to four prominences located on the steep walls of the sterno-abdominal cavity, that very likely interact with a socket, have been described in fossil podotremes, such as †Dakoticancridae Rathbun, 1917, and †Ibericancridae Artal, Guinot, Van Bakel & Castillo, 2008(Guinot 1993: 1231Van Bakel et al 2012: as "dakoticancrid holding"; see also Artal et al 2008). Among †Etyoidea Guinot & Tavares, 2001, the pattern is imperfectly known, particularly regarding the relevant sternal teeth along the sterno-abdominal depression (Guinot & Tavares 2001: 526, fig.…”

The oldest frog crabs (Decapoda: Brachyura: Raninoida) from the Aptian of northern South America

“…Genus Species Locality Ber Val Hau Bar Apt Alb Cenomanocarcinidae Cenomanocarcinus C. armatus (Rathbun, 1935) Texas, USA X Guinot, Vega, and Van Straelen, 1936 C. oklahomensis (Rathbun, 1935) Oklahoma, USA X Van Bakel, 2008 C. renfroae (Stenzel, 1945) Texas, USA; Colombia X C. vanstraeleni Stenzel, 1945 Texas Rathbun, 1935 Texas, USA X N. undecimtuberculatus Japan X Takeda andFujiyama, 1983 N. woodwardi Bell, 1863 Great Britain X Paranecrocarcinus P. graysonensis (Rathbun, 1935) Texas, USA X Van Straelen, 1936a P. hexagonalis Van Straelen, 1936 France X? X?…”