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A new species of late Cretaceous crab (Brachyura: Carcineretidae) from Albion Island, Belize

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 July 2015

Francisco J. Vega
Affiliation:
Instituto de Geología, UNAM, Ciudad Universitaria, México, D.F. 04510
Rodney M. Feldmann
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Kent State University. Kent, Ohio 44242
Adriana C. Ocampo
Affiliation:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, MS 183-601, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, California 91009
Kevin O. Pope
Affiliation:
Geo Eco Arch Research, 2222 Foothill Blvd., Suite E-272, La Cañada, California 91011

Abstract

A new species of carcineretid crab, Carcineretesplanetarius, is described from the Upper Cretaceous (lower Maastrichtian) Barton Creek Dolomite at Albion Island, Belize. The age is based on the stratigraphic range of associated nerineid gastropods and correlation with nannoplankton, benthic foraminifera, and the other known congeneric species of crab found in Jamaica. Confirmation of this age aids in constraining the timing of ejecta deposits of the Chicxulub impact found at the top of Barton Creek Dolomite exposed on Albion Island. Paleoenvironmental and paleoecological analyses suggest that these crabs were swimmers in lagoonal settings, capable of burrowing a few centimeters into the mud for protection.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

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