''Branchioplax'' is an extinct genus of

crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...

which existed in

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

and

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

during the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...

period. It was first named by

Mary Rathbun Mary Jane Rathbun may refer to: * Mary J. Rathbun (1860–1943), American zoologist * Brownie Mary Mary Jane Rathbun (December 22, 1922 – April 10, 1999), popularly known as Brownie Mary, was an American medical cannabis rights activist. ...

in 1916, and contains ten species, including ''Branchioplax washingtoniana'' from the

Hoko River Formation The Hoko River Formation is a Late Eocene marine sedimentary geologic formation. The formation is exposed in outcrops along the Strait of Juan de Fuca on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state, USA. It is known for containing numerous fossils ...

, ''Branchioplax carmanahensis'', and ''Branchioplax ballingi''.Page 319, ''Bulletin de la Société géologique de France'', Société géologique de France, 1959. Branchioplax species 01 SR EC 07-01-26

References

External links

The Family Goneplacidae MacLeay, 1838 (Crustacea: Decapoda, Brachyura): systematics phylogeny and fossil records.

''Branchioplax''
at the

Paleobiology Database The Paleobiology Database is an online resource for information on the distribution and classification of fossil animals, plants, and microorganisms. History The Paleobiology Database (PBDB) originated in the NCEAS-funded Phanerozoic Marine Pale ...

Crabs Eocene crustaceans Eocene arthropods of North America Fossil taxa described in 1916 Taxa named by Mary J. Rathbun {{crab-stub