| Retroplumidae Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Fossil of Retropluma craverii | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Brachyura |
| Subsection: | Heterotremata |
| Superfamily: | Retroplumoidea Gill, 1894 |
| Family: | Retroplumidae Gill, 1894 [1] |
| Synonyms | |
Ptenoplacidae Alcock, 1899 | |
Retroplumidae is a family of heterotrematan crabs, placed in their own (monotypic) superfamily, Retroplumoidea.
Eight genera are recognised, of which all but two are only known from fossils: [2]
Ten species in two genera survive in the deep sea of the Indo-Pacific region: [3]
Fossil specimens ascribed to the Retroplumidae are known from the Late Cretaceous onwards, with Archaeopus antennatus in Coniacian–Maastrichtian rocks in California and Archaeopus ezoensis from Turonian–Maastrichtian rocks from Japan. [4]