Cretaceous crab revolution

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The Cretaceous crab revolution refers to a major diversification event of brachyuran crabs (also known as true crabs) that took place during the Cretaceous Period, from 145 to 66 million years ago. [1] [2] Nearly 80% of modern groups of crabs originated during this event. [3] The Cretaceous crab revolution is a smaller component of the greater Mesozoic marine revolution. [4]

Early diversification

The oldest known true crabs are Eoprosopon klugi and Eocarcinus praecursor from the Early to Middle Jurassic. [5] [6] While that fossil crab, and a few other Jurassic species, establish that crabs existed in older time periods, crabs did not truly diversify into numerous species until the beginning of the Cretaceous. [3] During this time, crabs evolved into many different body plans and lifestyles, including the carcinized body shape like that of blue crabs that many people are familiar with. [7] [8] At the same time, many families of crabs evolved away from the carcinized body plan, termed decarcinization. [1] [2] The Cretaceous crab revolution also witnessed the evolution of more unusual body forms in crabs, including the enigmatic Callichimaera perplexa. [1] This rapid diversification allowed true crabs to inhabit many different environments including fresh water environments, coral reefs, swimming within the water column, and many others. [3]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crab</span> Infraorder of decapod crustaceans

Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the world's oceans, in freshwater, and on land, are generally covered with a thick exoskeleton, and have a single pair of pincers on each arm. They first appeared during the Jurassic Period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Decapoda</span> Order of crustaceans

The Decapoda or decapods are an order of crustaceans within the class Malacostraca, and includes crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, and prawns. Most decapods are scavengers. The order is estimated to contain nearly 15,000 extant species in around 2,700 genera, with around 3,300 fossil species. Nearly half of these species are crabs, with the shrimp and Anomura including hermit crabs, porcelain crabs, squat lobsters making up the bulk of the remainder. The earliest fossils of the group date to the Devonian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Achelata</span> Infraorder of crustaceans

The Achelata is an infra-order of the decapod crustaceans, holding the spiny lobsters, slipper lobsters and their fossil relatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anomura</span> Infraorder of crustaceans

Anomura is a group of decapod crustaceans, including hermit crabs and others. Although the names of many anomurans include the word crab, all true crabs are in the sister group to the Anomura, the Brachyura.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carcinisation</span> Evolution of crustaceans into crab-like forms

Carcinisation is a form of convergent evolution in which non-crab crustaceans evolve a crab-like body plan. The term was introduced into evolutionary biology by L. A. Borradaile, who described it as "the many attempts of Nature to evolve a crab".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hippoidea</span> Superfamily of crustaceans

Hippoidea is a superfamily of decapod crustaceans known as sand crabs or mole crabs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheiragonidae</span> Family of crabs

Cheiragonidae is a small family of crabs, sometimes called helmet crabs, placed in its own superfamily, Cheriagonoidea. It comprises three extant species, Erimacrus isenbeckii, Telmessus acutidens and Telmessus cheiragonus, there are no yet evidences of Cheiragonidae in the fossil record. Many of these crabs were formerly treated as members of the Atelecyclidae.

<i>Eocarcinus</i> Extinct genus of crustaceans

Eocarcinus praecursor is a Jurassic species of decapod crustacean, sufficiently distinct from its relatives to be placed in its own family (Eocarcinidae). Often considered the oldest true crab, it was considered by a 2010 study to be an early member of the Anomura. However, a reanalysis in 2020 again found it to be the earliest known stem-group crab.

Glaessneropsoidea is a superfamily of fossil crabs. They are found in rocks from Late Jurassic age to Late Cretaceous. The 45 species in the superfamily are divided among 11 genera in four families:

Platykotta akaina is a species of decapod crustacean from the Triassic of the United Arab Emirates. It is the oldest known fossil from the infraorder Anomura, and is most closely related to Eocarcinus praecursor.

This list of fossil arthropods described in 2014 is a list of new taxa of trilobites, fossil insects, crustaceans, arachnids and other fossil arthropods of every kind that have been described during the year 2014. The list only includes taxa at the level of genus or species.

This list of fossil arthropods described in 2015 is a list of new taxa of trilobites, fossil insects, crustaceans, arachnids and other fossil arthropods of every kind that have been described during the year 2015. The list only includes taxa at the level of genus or species.

This list of fossil arthropods described in 2017 is a list of new taxa of trilobites, fossil insects, crustaceans, arachnids and other fossil arthropods of every kind that are scheduled to be described during the year 2017, as well as other significant discoveries and events related to arthropod paleontology that are scheduled to occur in the year 2017.

This list of fossil arthropods described in 2019 is a list of new taxa of trilobites, fossil insects, crustaceans, arachnids and other fossil arthropods of every kind that are scheduled to be described during the year 2019, as well as other significant discoveries and events related to arthropod paleontology that are scheduled to occur in the year 2019.

<i>Callichimaera</i> Extinct genus of crabs

Callichimaera perplexa is a species of small crabs known from the Cretaceous Churuvita Group of Colombia and the Frontier Formation of the United States. Because it possesses a strange combination of anatomical features, it is said to be the "platypus of crabs". The presence of certain features in this species, such as its large claws and swimming limbs, confirm that those features were present in the crab lineage up to 95 million years ago. It evolved during the Cretaceous crab revolution.

2020 in arthropod paleontology is a list of new arthropod fossil taxa, including arachnids, crustaceans, insects, trilobites, and other arthropods that were announced or described, as well as other significant arthropod paleontological discoveries and events which occurred in 2020.

2021 in arthropod paleontology is a list of new arthropod fossil taxa, including arachnids, crustaceans, insects, trilobites, and other arthropods that were announced or described, as well as other significant arthropod paleontological discoveries and events which occurred in 2021.

2023 in arthropod paleontology is a list of new arthropod fossil taxa, including arachnids, crustaceans, trilobites, and other arthropods that were announced or described, as well as other significant arthropod paleontological discoveries and events which occurred in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stenochiridae</span> Family of crustaceans

Stenochiridae is a family of fossil decapod crustaceans which lived from the early Jurassic to late Cretaceous periods. It is the only family in the superfamily Stenochiroidea. Fossils of stenochirids are known from Europe, Japan, Chile and Australia.

<i>Protastacus</i> Extinct genus of crustaceans

Protastacus is an extinct genus of decapod crustaceans that lived in what is now Germany during the early Cretaceous period. The type species is P. politus, and a second species, P. antiquus, is also assigned to the genus. Protastacus grew to around 10 cm (3.9 in) long and had a mostly crayfish-like appearance, with enlarged pincer-bearing appendages and a segmented abdomen. Though formerly assigned to the Astacidae or Nephropoidea, it is currently placed as the only genus in the family Protastacidae, which in turn is the only family in the superfamily Protastacoidea.

References

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  2. 1 2 Luque, Javier; Bracken-Grissom, Heather; Ortega-Hernandez, Javier; Wolfe, Joanna (2019). "Phylogenetics of true crabs, and the early origins of crab-like forms" (PDF). The Palaeontological Association (PalAss) Annual Meeting.
  3. 1 2 3 Schweitzer, Carrie E.; Feldmann, Rodney M. (2015-08-27). "Faunal turnover and niche stability in marine Decapoda in the Phanerozoic". Journal of Crustacean Biology. 35 (5): 633–649. doi: 10.1163/1937240x-00002359 . ISSN   0278-0372.
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  5. Schweitzer, Carrie E.; Feldmann, Rodney M. (2010-05-01). "The Oldest Brachyura (Decapoda: Homolodromioidea: Glaessneropsoidea) Known to Date (Jurassic)". Journal of Crustacean Biology. 30 (2): 251–256. doi: 10.1651/09-3231.1 . ISSN   0278-0372. S2CID   84707572.
  6. Scholtz, Gerhard (2020-11-01). "Eocarcinus praecursor Withers, 1932 (Malacostraca, Decapoda, Meiura) is a stem group brachyuran". Arthropod Structure & Development. 59: 100991. doi: 10.1016/j.asd.2020.100991 . ISSN   1467-8039. PMID   32891896. S2CID   221525257.
  7. Borradaile, L.A. (1916). "Crustacea. Part II. Porcellanopagurus: An instance of carcinization, in British Antarctic ("Terra Nova") Expedition, 1910". Zoology. 3: 111–126.
  8. Scholtz, Gerhard (2014-03-26). "Evolution of crabs – history and deconstruction of a prime example of convergence". Contributions to Zoology. 83 (2): 87–105. doi: 10.1163/18759866-08302001 . ISSN   1875-9866.