Stenochiridae Temporal range: | |
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Fossil of Pseudastacus pustulosus | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Malacostraca |
Order: | Decapoda |
Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
Infraorder: | Astacidea |
Superfamily: | † Stenochiroidea Beurlen, 1928 |
Family: | † Stenochiridae Beurlen, 1928 |
Genera | |
Synonyms | |
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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.
Georg zu Münster was the first to publish on fossils of stenochirids, describing several fossil specimens collected from the Solnhofen Limestone in 1839, though the family would not be named until much later. He erected the genus Bolina to which he assigned two species, Bolina pustulosa and Bolina angusta. [1] However, Albert Oppel noted in 1861 that this genus name was preoccupied by a cnidarian, and split the two species into separate genera, renaming them as Pseudastacus pustulosus and Stenochirus angustus. [2]
The family Stenochiridae was first established decades later in 1928 by Karl Beurlen, named after the type genus Stenochirus. Beurlen placed only the genus Stenochirus into the Stenochiridae, rendering the family monotypic. [3] In 1997, Tshudy and Babcock erected the new family Chilenophoberidae, of which Chilenophoberus was the type genus and three other genera ( Pseudastacus , Palaeophoberus and Tillocheles ) were assigned to. [4] In 2013, a study on the phylogeny of lobsters by Karasawa et al. found that Stenochirus and Pseudastacus were sister taxa, which would make Chilenophoberidae a paraphyletic taxon with Stenochiridae nested within. Because the latter family was named first, Chilenophoberidae became a junior synonym of Stenochiridae. [5]
Stenochiridae is the sister clade to Nephropidae (the family containing true lobsters), and both belong to the infraorder Astacidea. The cladogram below shows the placement of Stenochiridae within Astacidea, from analysis by Karasawa et al. (2013): [5]
The cladogram below shows the internal relationships of Stenochiridae according to Karasawa et al. (2013): [5]
Stenochiridae | |
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.
Homarus is a genus of lobsters, which include the common and commercially significant species Homarus americanus and Homarus gammarus. The Cape lobster, which was formerly in this genus as H. capensis, was moved in 1995 to the new genus Homarinus.
Nephrops is a genus of lobsters comprising a single extant species, Nephrops norvegicus, and several fossil species. It was erected by William Elford Leach in 1814, to accommodate N. norvegicus alone, which had previously been placed in genera such as Cancer, Astacus or Homarus. Nephrops means "kidney eye" and refers to the shape of the animal's compound eye.
Astacidea is an infraorder of decapod crustaceans including lobsters, crayfish, and their close relatives.
The Cape lobster, Homarinus capensis, is a species of small lobster that lives off the coast of South Africa, from Dassen Island to Haga Haga. Only a few dozen specimens are known, mostly regurgitated by reef-dwelling fish. It lives in rocky reefs, and is thought to lay large eggs that have a short larval phase, or that hatch directly as a juvenile. The species grows to a total length of 10 cm (3.9 in), and resembles a small European or American lobster; it was previously included in the same genus, Homarus, although it is not very closely related to those species, and is now considered to form a separate, monotypic genus – Homarinus. Its closest relatives are the genera Thymops and Thymopides.
Nephropoidea is a superfamily of decapod crustaceans. It contains the true lobsters in the Nephropidae, and three fossil families: Chilenophoberidae, Protastacidae and Stenochiridae. Their closest relatives are the reef lobsters.
The Grapsoidea are a superfamily of crabs; they are well known and contain many taxa which are terrestrial (land-living), semiterrestrial, or limnic. Another well-known member with a more conventional lifestyle is the Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis.
Carpilioidea is a superfamily of crabs containing a single extant family, Carpiliidae and three extinct families. The modern range of the family includes the Indo-Pacific, Western Atlantic and Caribbean Sea. The fossil record of the group extends back at least as far as the Paleocene.
Polychelida is an infraorder of decapod crustaceans. Fossil representatives are known dating from as far back as the Upper Triassic. A total of 38 extant species, all in the family Polychelidae, and 55 fossil species have been described.
The Galatheoidea are a superfamily of decapod crustaceans comprising the porcelain crabs and some squat lobsters. Squat lobsters within the three families of the superfamily Chirostyloidea are not closely related to the squat lobsters within the Galatheoidea. The fossil record of the superfamily extends back to the Middle Jurassic genus Palaeomunidopsis.
Cancrinos is a genus of fossil crustaceans closely allied with the slipper lobsters. One species is known, C. claviger from the Jurassic of southern Germany.
Hoploparia is a genus of fossil lobster belonging to the family Nephropidae. The type species of this genus is Hoploparia longimana.
Palinurina is an extinct genus of crustaceans, belonging to the decapods. These animals lived between the Lower Jurassic and the Upper Jurassic and their fossils can be found in Europe. This crustacean is considered one of the oldest lobsters.
Notahomarus is a genus of fossil lobster belonging to the family Nephropidae that is known from fossils found only in Lebanon. The type species, N. hakelensis, was initially placed within the genus Homarus in 1878, but it was transferred to the genus Notahomarus in 2017.
Pseudastacus is an extinct genus of decapod crustaceans that lived during the Jurassic period in Europe, and possibly the Cretaceous period in Lebanon. Many species have been assigned to it, though the placement of some species remains uncertain and others have been reassigned to different genera. Fossils attributable to this genus were first described by Georg zu Münster in 1839 under the name Bolina pustulosa, but the generic name was changed in 1861 after Albert Oppel noted that it was preoccupied. The genus has been placed into different families by numerous authors, historically being assigned to Nephropidae or Protastacidae. Currently, it is believed to be a member of Stenochiridae.
Stenochirus is an extinct genus of decapod crustaceans that lived from the Callovian to Tithonian stages of the Jurassic period. Its fossils have been found in Germany and France.
Palaeophoberus is an extinct genus of decapod crustaceans that lived from the Aalenian to Tithonian stages of the Jurassic period. Its fossils have been found in Germany and France.
Chilenophoberus is an extinct genus of decapod crustaceans that lived during the Oxfordian stage of the Late Jurassic period in what is now Cordillera de Domeyko, Chile. The genus contains a single species, Chilenophoberus atacamensis.
Tillocheles is an extinct genus of decapod crustaceans that lived during the Cretaceous period. Two species are currently placed in the genus. Fossils of the earlier type species, T. shannonae, have been found in Queensland, while remains of the later species, T. kaoriae, are known from Hokkaido.
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.