Ghost shrimp genus Turbiocheir from the Palaeogene of Argentina and Chile revisited: the first fossil record of Anacalliax (Decapoda: Anacalliacidae)

ABSTRACT

The ghost shrimp Turbiocheir minutospinata has so far been known only from its holotype from the Eocene/Oligocene rocks of Río Turbio, Patagonia in Argentina. Recently, the additional specimen has been found in the Eocene strata of the Boca Lebu Formation of the Arauco Basin, Chile. New material adds information on the morphology of chelipeds and allows evaluation of the degree of heterochely of the studied ghost shrimp. Moreover, comparison of Turbiocheir minutospinata with extant ghost shrimp taxa allows synonymisation of Turbiocheir with Anacalliax. With this act the fossil record of Anacalliax is extended into early Eocene. The occurrence of Anacalliax minutospinata comb. nov. is proposed to represent a reliable calibration point for Anacalliacidae, which was not available until now.

KEYWORDS:

• Cenozoic
• Crustacea
• taxonomy
• heterochely
• palaeobiogeography

Acknowledgments

Carrie E. Schweitzer and Rodney M. Feldmann (both Kent State University, Ohio) are thanked for providing the cast of the holotype of Turbiocheir minutospinata. Critical remarks of reviewers Gary C.B. Poore (Museums Victoria, Australia) and Carrie E. Schweitzer improved the original manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The research of MH was supported by Hungarian Scientific Research Fund under [contract no. OTKA K112708]; and the Slovak Research and Development Agency under [contract no. APVV-17-0555].