Taxonomy and palaeoecology of a decapod crustacean assemblage from the Oxfordian of Stránská skála (Southern Moravia, Czech Republic)

Abstract

Primitive brachyurans and other decapods have been extensively reported from deposits of Oxfordian age, often termed microbial-sponge and coral megafacies distributed across the entirety of Europe. During the Oxfordian, coral reefs were far less common than microbial-sponge build-ups. The occurrences of decapods associated with such coral facies include those in France, Romania and the Czech Republic. Regarding the Czech Republic, the assemblage from the Stránská skála Hill has been evaluated; it is composed of at least six species including Gastrosacus wetzleri, Eomunidopsis cf. E. neojurensis, Longodromites angustus, Goniodromites narinosus, Goniodromites serratus and Eodromites grandis. Besides the dorsal carapace material, isolated chelae are described as well. As they are not preserved in direct association with taxonomically significant carapaces, they are treated in open nomenclature. Differential diversity of decapods at Stránská skála is relatively low compared to slightly younger Tithonian coral-associated assemblages from Romania. Out of 36 studied specimens, three bear a swelling on the branchial region interpreted to be a result of an isopod infestation. The relatively high percentage of infestation (8.33%) can be explained by collection bias since carapaces with bopyriform swellings can be considered more attractive to collectors. • Key words: Oxfordian, Czech Republic, Decapoda, differential diversity, bopyrid infestation.

Systematics and convergent evolution of multiple reef-associated Jurassic and Cretaceous crabs (Decapoda, Brachyura)

“…In many brachyurans, the hepatic region does not border the mesogastric region (e.g., Glaessner, 1969, figure 220;Davie et al, 2015, figure 71-2.6). Such mesogastric groove tubercles can be found on the internal mold and on the cuticle in representatives of Tanidromites (Starzyk, 2016(Starzyk, , 2013herein), but also in specimens of Distefania Checchia-Rispoli, 1917, Eodromites Patrulius, 1959, Gabriella Collins et al, 2006, and Pithonoton von Meyer, 1842 Gastric pits have been used extensively to describe two pits on the gastric region close to the longitudinal axis of decapods (e.g., Jakobsen and Collins, 1997;Blow, 2003;Hyzný and Müller, 2010;Klompmaker et al, 2012), but cervical pits have been used instead recently (Starzyk, 2013(Starzyk, , 2016Robin et al, 2015;Hyžný et al, 2015). We here use gastric pits because not all such pits are located clearly within the cervical groove (e.g., Dakoticancridae; Nitotacarcinus Schweitzer et al, 2007; some Etyidae) or a clear cervical groove is not always present (Paranecrocarcinidae, Zanthopsidae, some Raninoida).…”

“…Another taxon to reconsider here is Eodromites aequilatus, which Schweigert and Koppka (2011) placed in Eodromites, followed by subsequent authors (Starzyk, 2015b;Hyžný et al, 2015;Schweitzer et al, 2017Schweitzer et al, , 2018, although no detailed explanation was provided. In fact, E. aequilatus was compared to multiple morphologically similar species of Tanidromites, and it was concluded that the similarities between Eodromites and Tanidromites suggest that they are phylogenetically close (Schweigert and Koppka, 2011).…”

Cultural Ecosystem Services of Geodiversity: A Case Study from Stránská skála (Brno, Czech Republic)

“…According to Gregorová [71], the first paleontological findings were discovered during the 19th Century. In practice, all significant groups of Jurassic marine fauna are included, e.g., crinoids, cephalopods or decapods [71][72][73][74]. The talus cone profile (Quaternary sediments) offers fossils from the Pleistocene [75,76]).…”

Archaeochiapasidae n. fam., a new early Cenomanian brachyuran family from Chiapas, Mexico, new hypothesis on Lecythocaridae Schweitzer & Feldmann, 2009, and phylogenetic implications (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura, Eubrachyura)

“…17) (Fraaije et al 2006Nyborg et al 2009: fig. 4) or fossil Retropluma Gill, 1894(Hyžný et al 2015Gašparič & Križnar 2017: fig. 3B;Gašparič et al 2019: fig.…”