Laeviprosopon punctatum (von Meyer, 1857)

Klompmaker, Adiël A., Starzyk, Natalia, Fraaije, René H. B. & Schweigert, Günter, 2020, Systematics and convergent evolution of multiple reef-associated Jurassic and Cretaceous crabs (Decapoda, Brachyura), Palaeontologia Electronica (a 32) 23 (2), pp. 1-54 : 24-25

Laeviprosopon punctatum (von Meyer, 1857)

Figure 13

1857 Prosopon punctatum von Meyer , p. 556.

1860 Prosopon punctatum von Meyer ; von Meyer, p. 210, pl. 23.23.

1889 Prosopon punctatum von Meyer ; Moericke, p.

62, pl. 6.23.

1969 Laeviprosopon laeve punctatum (von Meyer) ; Glaessner, R484, fig. 294.2.

1988 Prosopon punctatum von Meyer ; Wehner, p.

23, fig. 8, pl. 1.5-1.6.

2000 Prosopon punctatum von Meyer ; Müller et al., fig. 17C.

2008b Laeviprosopon punctatum (von Meyer) ; Schweitzer and Feldmann, p. 280-281, fig. 1.7.

2012b Laeviprosopon punctatum (von Meyer) ; Schweitzer et al., p. 17, fig. 10.2c.

Diagnosis. See Schweitzer and Feldmann (2008b,

p. 281).

Material studied. NHMW 2017/0089/0033, from the coral reef Ernstbrunn Limestone of the Ernstbrunn quarries (Google Earth coordinates: 48.54,

16.35), Austria, Late Jurassic (Tithonian) (Schweitzer and Feldmann, 2009d; Schneider et al.,

2013).

Dimensions. (In mm) maximum length excl. rostrum=~8.6, maximum width=6.9.

Occurrence. Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian-Tithonian) of Central Europe ( Austria, Czech Republic, Germany).

Description. Reference is made to von Meyer (1860, p. 210-211), translated to English in Schweitzer and Feldmann (2008b, p. 281). Additional characters: orbital cavity shallow, anterolaterally oriented; small outer orbital spine directed transversely. Subhepatic region swollen.

Remarks. This species has been reported from the late Kimmeridgian type locality Örlinger Tal near Ulm in SW Germany (von Meyer, 1860), while the neotype is from the Tithonian of Chotěbuz (Kotzobenz), Czech Republic (Moericke, 1889; Wehner, 1988; Müller et al., 2000). Moericke (1889) also listed this taxon from the Tithonian of Racziechowy in Poland. Furthermore, Wehner (1988) mentioned the species’ presence in late Kimmeridgian-early Tithonian localities of Germany. More recently, this species was also listed in a conference abstracts as originating also from the late Kimmeridgian of Geislingen an der Steige and Saal an der Donau, southern Germany (Schweigert et al., 2016; Schweigert, 2019). The specimen figured herein from the Tithonian of the Ernstbrunn quarries in eastern Austria represents a new occurrence. The figured specimen was found among previously uncatalogued material from Ernstbrunn and represents the only specimen known from this region, consistent with its low abundance in other localities (von Meyer, 1860; Moericke, 1889; Wehner, 1988). A carapace of this species has not been photographed in lateral and frontal views thus far, which we provide herein.

Figures

FIGURE 13. Specimen of the crab Laeviprosopon punctatum (von Meyer, 1857) (NHMW 2017/0089/0033) from the Late Jurassic (Tithonian) of Ernstbrunn, eastern Austria. A, dorsal view of carapace. B, right-lateral view. C, frontal view. Scale bar width equals 2.0 mm.