Where: Spain (40.9° N, 0.7° W: paleocoordinates 30.3° N, 10.0° E)

When: Forcall Formation, Early/Lower Aptian (121.4 - 122.5 Ma)

• Locality 3 corresponds to a complete section of the entire Forcall Formation that has been correlated with lateral equivalents at localities 2 and 4. Decapod crustaceans have been found at various levels, and this section has been used as a reference for placement of the position of levels sampled at other localities (C1, C2 and C3). Level C1 indicated in Fig. 2C corresponds to a shelly interval rich in remains of the hermit crab Cretacocalcinus josaensis gen. et sp. nov., as indicated above; just a few decimetres upsection there are muddy levels that are rich in decapod crustacean remains at various stages of preservation (C2).

Environment/lithology: coastal; shelly/skeletal mudstone

Size class: macrofossils

Preservation: concretion

Collection methods: Sampling has been done on the surface of beds where only

•concretions containing Atherfieldastacus have been collected

•(Fig. 3A). That species, and the paguroid Cretacocalcinus gen. nov.,

•occur also as disarticulated remains in shelly assemblages. One

•large excavation was dug in a mudstone level at locality 2 (Fig. 3B).

•This has resulted in the discovery of rich and partially articulated

•material belonging to Atherfieldastacus, but also rarer components

•that are absent from the surface of outcrops and from concretions

•such as Aptaxiopsis gen. nov., Crosniera, Meticonaxius, Aptanacalliax

•gen. nov., Meyeria and Mithracites. Burrowing shrimp are present

•elsewhere in the muddy levels, but the recovery of additional,

•complete material would call for further excavations. Preservation

•varies depending on the fact whether specimens have been

•

•collected from concretions or from mudstones. A significant per-

•centage (30%) of Atherfieldastacus has been found within carbonate

•concretions (Fig. 3C). However, concretions lack other decapod

•crustacean taxa (see below).

Primary reference: F.A. Ferratges, M. Hyzný, and S. Zamora. 2021. Taphonomy and systematics of decapod crustaceans from the Aptian (Lower Cretaceous) in the Oliete Sub-basin (Teruel, Spain). Cretaceous Research 122(104767) [M. Clapham/D. Sammanna/J. Fearon]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 235301: authorized by Matthew Clapham, entered by Diya Sammanna on 26.06.2024

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)