Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-20-2021
Abstract
Amber fossils provide snapshots of the anatomy, biology, and ecology of extinct organisms that are otherwise inaccessible. The best-known fossils in amber are terrestrial arthropods—principally insects—whereas aquatic organisms are rarely represented. Here, we present the first record of true crabs (Brachyura) in amber—from the Cretaceous of Myanmar [~100 to 99 million years (Ma)]. The new fossil preserves large compound eyes, delicate mouthparts, and even gills. This modern-looking crab is nested within crown Eubrachyura, or “higher” true crabs, which includes the majority of brachyuran species living today. The fossil appears to have been trapped in a brackish or freshwater setting near a coastal to fluvio-estuarine environment, bridging the gap between the predicted molecular divergence of nonmarine crabs (~130 Ma) and their younger fossil record (latest Cretaceous and Paleogene, ~75 to 50 Ma) while providing a reliable calibration point for molecular divergence time estimates for higher crown eubrachyurans.
Publication
Science Advances
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Volume
7
Issue
43
Pages
1-12
Department
College of Communication and Design
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Publication History
Submitted 31 May 2021 Accepted 26 August 2021 Published 20 October 2021
Recommended Citation
Luque, J., Xing, L., Briggs, D. E. G., Clark, E. G., Duque, A., Hui, J., Mai, H., & McKellar, R. (2021, October 20). Crab in amber reveals an early colonization of nonmarine environments during the Cretaceous. Science Advances, 7(43), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abj5689
Comments
Submitted 31 May 2021 Accepted 26 August 2021 Published 20 October 2021