HERO IMAGE
Photograph of the holotypes of the two newly described viaiid crab species.
HIGHLIGHTS
Two newly discovered fossil crabs from southeastern Slovenia represent the first record of the extinct family Viaiidae in the country. The discoveries also include two species new to science, improving our understanding of the evolution of reef-associated crabs during the Early Cretaceous.
overview
The Early Cretaceous reefs that once covered parts of present-day Slovenia were home to a remarkably diverse marine fauna. While corals, molluscs and echinoderms are relatively well known from these ancient ecosystems, fossil crabs remain rare because their delicate skeletons are seldom preserved.
New discoveries from Lower Cretaceous limestones near Velika Strmica have revealed two exceptionally preserved crabs belonging to the extinct family Viaiidae. The fossils represent the first members of this family ever reported from Slovenia and are described as two species new to science. Their distinctive carapace morphology expands the known diversity of viaiid crabs and provides important new anatomical information for this poorly understood group.
The discovery also has broader palaeobiogeographical significance. During the Early Cretaceous, reef ecosystems stretched across the tropical Tethys Ocean, connecting what are now Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. The Slovenian viaiid crabs demonstrate that these reefs supported a diverse community of specialised brachyuran crabs much earlier than previously recognised. Together with other recent discoveries from Slovenia’s Cretaceous deposits, they reveal that the region preserves one of the richest fossil records of Early Cretaceous decapod crustaceans in Central Europe.
REFERENCE
Gašparič, R., Bakel, B.W.M., Fraaije, R.H.B. & Jagt, J.W.M. 2022: First record of viaiid crabs (Decapoda, Brachyura) from the Lower Cretaceous of Slovenia, with the description of two new species. Cretaceous Research, 138 (11), 105293, DOI.
Read the publication on ResearchGate.
