Mutotylaspis

Mutotylaspis Temporal range: Lower Cretaceous (Albian), ~110  Ma [1] PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Malacostraca
Order:	Decapoda
Suborder:	Pleocyemata
Infraorder:	Anomura
Family:	Probeebeidae
Genus:	† Mutotylaspis Fraaije, Mychko, Barsukov & Jagt, 2023 [2]
Species:	†M. tripudium
Binomial name
†Mutotylaspis tripudium Fraaije, Mychko, Barsukov & Jagt, 2023

Mutotylaspis is an extinct monotypic genus of probeebeid hermit crabs that lived in Russia's Vladimir Oblast ^[1] during the Albian stage of the Lower Cretaceous Epoch ^[1] , and the only extinct genus in the Probeebeidae family. ^{[2] [1]} Its type and only species is Mutotylaspis tripudium.

Etymology

The genus name, Mutotylaspis, is a combination of MUTO (giant monsters, or kaiju , that appear as primary antagonists ^[3] in the 2014 movie Godzilla) and the genus Tylaspis (another probeebeid that is thought to be the closest living relative of Mutotylaspis). ^[1]

The name of the type species, tripudium, is Latin for “dancing”, a reference to the pose the type specimen (SVSR, ГМ-436) was found in. ^[1]

References

1. Fraaije, René H.B.; Mychko, Eduard V.; Barsukov, Leonid S.; Jagt, John W.M. (February 2024). "A new mid-Cretaceous hermit crab (Crustacea, Anomura) from Central Russia sheds new light on paguroid evolution" . Cretaceous Research. 154 105749. Bibcode:2024CrRes.15405749F. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2023.105749 . Retrieved 20 August 2025.
2. De Grave, Sammy (2023). Lemaitre R, McLaughlin P (eds.). "Mutotylaspis Fraaije, Mychko, Barsukov & Jagt, 2023 †". World Paguroidea & Lomisoidea Database. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 20 August 2025.
3. Gettell, Oliver (21 May 2014). "'Godzilla's' monstrous costars: What do MUTOs mean for the franchise?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 September 2025.