Stenochirus

Last updated

Stenochirus
Temporal range: Callovian-Tithonian
Stenochirus fossils.jpg
Fossils of S. mayeri (left) and S. angustus (right)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Family: Stenochiridae
Genus: Stenochirus
Oppel, 1861
Type species
Bolina angusta
Münster, 1839
Species
  • S. angustusMünster, 1839
  • S. mayeriOppel, 1862
  • S. vahldiekiSchweigert, Garassino & Riou, 2006
Synonyms
S. angustus synonymy
  • Bolina angustaMünster, 1839

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.

Contents

Discovery and naming

S. angustus as illustrated in Munster's 1839 paper, originally labelled as Bolina angusta Bolina angusta.jpg
S. angustus as illustrated in Münster's 1839 paper, originally labelled as Bolina angusta

Remains of Stenochirus have been described before the genus was named. Georg zu Münster established the genus Bolina in 1839 and assigned to species to it, B. angusta and B. pustulosa (the type species), both originating from the Tithonian-aged Solnhofen Limestone in Bavaria. [1] 22 years later in 1861, Albert Oppel points out that the genus name Bolina is preoccupied by a cnidarian, and reassigns the two species into separate genera. He erects the new genera Stenochirus and Pseudastacus , which B. angusta and B. pustulosa became the type species of respectively, the former now renamed as Stenochirus angustus. [2]

In addition to the type species, two other species have been assigned to the genus. Oppel described a second species in 1862, which he named Stenochirus mayeri after Charles Mayer-Eymar, based on one specimen preserved showing its underside collected from the Solnhofen Limestone. [3] The specific name has been misspelled as meyeri in some publications, due to mistakenly believing the species is named after Hermann v. Meyer. [4] In 2006, the third species Stenochirus vahldieki was named from remains found in the lagerstätte at La Voulte-sur-Rhône, France. This site dates back to the Callovian stage of the Middle Jurassic period, making S. vahldieki the oldest known species of the genus. [5]

Description

Measuring around 3 cm (1.2 in) long, Stenochirus was a small crustacean with a crayfish-like build and smooth exoskeleton. The carapace is cylindrical, with a deep cervical groove stretching across the top and sides, as well as two shallow grooves behind it running parallel to each other. The back of the carapace has slightly convex margin. The rostrum is long and has four forward-pointing teeth on its sides. A pair of short stalks connect the compound eyes to the head. [4] The antennae are very long, exceeding the rest of the body in length. [3]

Comparison of the pincers of S. mayeri (left) and S. angustus (right) Stenochirus claws.jpg
Comparison of the pincers of S. mayeri (left) and S. angustus (right)

The frontmost pair of pereiopods are very long and slender, ending with pincers. Both "fingers" of each pincer have rows of elongated teeth-like serrations and curve at the tip. In S. angustus, the frontmost pereiopods are six times as long as they are wide, and the pincer "fingers" are equal in length. Meanwhile, the frontmost pereiopods of S. mayeri are narrower, being 12 times longer than they are wide, and the movable pincer "finger" is longer than the fixed one. [3] The first abdomen segment is smaller than the others, which are around the same length and subrectangular in shape. The telson also has a subrectangular shape, as well as a weak groove, two pairs of spines and two ridges starting at the front of the upper surface which end with small spines on the side margins. Both the endopods and exopods of the uropods have weak ridges, the latter additionally having a small spine on the outer margin. [4]

Classification

Stenochirus is the type genus of the family Stenochiridae, assigned as such when the family was established without formal diagnosis by Karl Beurlen in 1928. [6] Beurlen initially erected it as a subfamily named Stenochirinae, but would elevate it to family level in 1930. [7] Although Martin Glaessner assigned Stenochirus to Erymidae in 1929, he later placed it as an indeterminate astacidean when writing for the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology in 1969. [8] [9] Garassino & Schweigert (2006) would resurrect the taxon Stenochiridae and give the family a formal diagnosis, reassigning Stenochirus as its only genus. [4]

In 2013, analysis by Karasawa et al. found that the supposed family Chilenophoberidae is paraphyletic, as Stenochirus is nested within as a sister taxon to Pseudastacus . They therefore declared Chilenophoberidae as a junior synonym of Stenochiridae, and thus more genera were moved into the family. The following cladogram shows the placement of Stenochirus within Stenochiridae according to the study: [10]

Stenochiridae

Related Research Articles

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

Astacidea is an infraorder of decapod crustaceans including lobsters, crayfish, and their close relatives.

<i>Gnathosaurus</i> Genus of ctenochasmatid pterosaur from the Late Jurassic period

Gnathosaurus is a genus of ctenochasmatid pterosaur containing two species: G. subulatus, named in 1833 from the Solnhofen Limestone of Germany, and G. macrurus, known from the Purbeck Limestone of the UK. Its fossil remains dated back to the Late Jurassic period.

<i>Trachyteuthis</i> Genus of fossil cephalopod

Trachyteuthis is a genus of extinct octopodiform cephalopods, comprising six species: T. hastiformis, T. latipinnis, T. nusplingensis, T. teudopsiformis, T. covacevichi and T. chilensis.

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

Acanthochirana is an extinct genus of prawn that existed during the upper Jurassic period. It was named by E. Strand in 1928, and its type species is Acanthochirana cordata. They are distinguished from the related genus Aeger by the presence of teeth on the rostrum, which are absent in Aeger.

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

Albertoppelia is an extinct genus of prawn which existed during the Late Jurassic period, named after Albert Oppel. It contains the single species Abertoppelia kuempeli. Fossils of Albertoppelia were recovered from the Eichstätt Formation in Bavaria, Germany.

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

Carpopenaeus is an extinct genus of prawn, which existed during the Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. It contains three species.

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

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.

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

Glyphea is a genus of fossil glypheoid crustaceans that lived from the Jurassic to the Eocene. It includes the following species:

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

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.

<i>Hoploparia</i> Extinct genus of lobsters

Hoploparia is a genus of fossil lobster belonging to the family Nephropidae. The type species of this genus is Hoploparia longimana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nusplingen Limestone</span> Geological Formation in Baden-Württemberg, Germany

The Nusplingen Limestone is a geological formation in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It preserves fossils dating to the Kimmeridgian age of the Late Jurassic. It mainly consists of lithographic limestones deposited in a marine basin, similar to the Solnhofen Limestone. Fossils of pterosaurs, thalattosuchians, and the oldest geophilomorph centipede Eogeophilus were found in the Nusplingen Limestone.

Paracancrinos is a prehistoric genus of crustacean that lived during the Upper Cretaceous in what is now Lebanon. It contains a single species, P. libanensis, which was originally described as a species of Cancrinos in 2006, but was moved to its own genus in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palinurina</span> Extinct genus of crustaceans

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.

<i>Sculda</i> Extinct genus of mantis shrimp

Sculda is an extinct genus of mantis shrimp known from the late Jurassic to late Cretaceous of Germany and Lebanon. Although several species have been assigned to it, some are now deemed dubious or moved to different genera. It was a moderate-sized crustacean, measuring no more than 50 mm (2.0 in) long. Sculda would have lived in a marine environment and been a predatory animal, likely smashing its prey with the widened segment of its raptorial appendages before cutting it with the sharp appendage tips.

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

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.

<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.

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.

<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

  1. Münster, Georg Herbert; Münster, Georg Herbert (1839). Beitraege zur Petrefacten-Kunde : mit XXX. nach der Natur gezeichneten tafeln. Bayreuth: in Commission der Buchner'schen Buchhandlung.
  2. A, Oppel (1861). "Die Arten der Gattungen Eryma, Pseudastacus, Magila und Etallonia" (PDF). Jahreshefte des Vereins für Vaterlandische Naturkunde in Wurttemberg (in German). 17: 355–364.
  3. 1 2 3 Oppel, Carl Albert; Zittel, Karl Alfred von; Boehm, Georg; Bayerisches Nationalmuseum (1862). Palaeontologische Mittheilungen aus dem Museum des koenigl. bayer. Staates. Smithsonian Libraries. Stuttgart : Ebner & Seubert.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Garassino, Alessandro; Schweigert, Guenter (January 2006). "The Upper Jurassic Solnhofen decapod crustacean fauna: Review of the types from old descriptions. Part I. Infraorders Astacidea, Thalassinidea, and Palinura" (PDF). Memorie della Società italiana di Scienze naturali e del Museo civico di Storia naturale di Milano. 34 (1): 1–64.
  5. Schweigert, Günter; Garassino, Alessandro (2006-03-20). "First record of Stenochirus Oppel, 1861 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Stenochiridae) from the Callovian (Middle Jurassic) of La Voulte-sur-Rhône". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Monatshefte. 2006 (2): 65–77. doi:10.1127/njgpm/2006/2006/65. ISSN   0028-3630.
  6. Beurlen, Karl (1928-01-01). "Die Decapoden des Schwäbischen Jura, mit Ausnahme der aus den oberjurassischen Plattenkalken stammenden. Beiträge zur Systematik und Stammesgeschichte der Decapoden". Palaeontographica (in German): 115–278.
  7. Beurlen, Karl (1930). "Vergleichende Stammesgeschichte: Grundlagen, Methoden, Probleme unter besonderer Berück-sichtigung der höheren Krebse". Nature (in German). 129 (3264): 745. doi: 10.1038/129745a0 . ISSN   1476-4687.
  8. Glaessner, M. F. (1929). Fossilium catalogus: Animalia. Crustacea decapoda (in Latin). Junk.
  9. Moore, R. C.; Brooks, H. K.; Glaessner, M. F.; Rolfe, W. D. Ian; Manning, Raymond B.; Holthuis, L. B.; Hessler, Robert R. (1969-01-01). "Part R, Arthropoda 4, vol. 1 & 2, ch. 4, p. 295-566". Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology. doi:10.17161/dt.v0i0.5629. ISSN   2153-621X.
  10. Karasawa, Hiroaki; Schweitzer, Carrie E.; Feldmann, Rodney M. (2013-01-01). "Phylogeny and systematics of extant and extinct lobsters". Journal of Crustacean Biology. 33 (1): 78–123. doi: 10.1163/1937240X-00002111 . ISSN   0278-0372.