HERO IMAGE
Composite image showing the two newly described crab species alongside a photograph of the Trbovlje Formation exposure.
HIGHLIGHTS
Fossils from the Trbovlje Formation document a surprisingly diverse crab fauna that inhabited coastal environments of Slovenia around 25 million years ago. The study describes two previously unknown species and provides new insights into marine ecosystems that existed shortly before the Miocene. crustaceans and marine mammals.
overview
The Late Oligocene was a period of profound environmental change as Europe gradually transitioned towards the warm seas of the Early Miocene. Along the margins of the Central Paratethys, shallow coastal environments supported a rich diversity of crustaceans, although their fossil record remains relatively poorly known.
New discoveries from the Trbovlje Formation in central Slovenia significantly expand this record. The study documents several decapod crustaceans preserved in marine sediments deposited approximately 24–26 million years ago, including two species of hymenosomatid crabs new to science. These delicate “false spider crabs” are among the oldest representatives of their family known from Europe and demonstrate that hymenosomatids had already diversified in the Paratethys by the Late Oligocene.
Beyond the description of new species, the fossils provide valuable evidence for the evolution and palaeobiogeography of European decapod crustaceans during a critical interval of climatic and faunal change. They reveal that the Slovenian sector of the Central Paratethys supported unexpectedly diverse crustacean communities, reinforcing the importance of Slovenia’s Oligocene deposits for understanding the origins of modern European marine faunas.
REFERENCE
Gašparič, R., Hyžný, M., Hitij, T. & Šoster, A. 2024: Late Oligocene decapod crustaceans from the Trbovlje Formation of Slovenia, with a description of two new species of hymenosomatid crabs. Palaeontologia Electronica, 27.1.a4, 1-16.
Read the publication on ResearchGate.
