''Hakelocaris vavassorii'' is an extinct
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
prawn
Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton and ten legs (which is a member of the order decapoda), some of which can be eaten.
The term "prawn"Mortenson, Philip B (2010''This is not a weasel: a close look at nature' ...
belonging to the family
Penaeidae
Penaeidae is a family of marine crustaceans in the suborder Dendrobranchiata, which are often referred to as penaeid shrimp or penaeid prawns. The Penaeidae contain many species of economic importance, such as the tiger prawn, whiteleg shrimp, ...
. It was named in 1994 by
Alessandro Garassino, and is the only species in the genus ''Hakelocaris''.
These prawns lived during the
Cenomanian age.
Fossils have been found in fossiliferous marine outcrops in
Hjoula
Hjoula ( ar, حجولا) is a municipality in the Byblos District of Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon. It is 70 kilometers north of Beirut. Hjoula has an elevation of between 920 and 1,100 meters above sea level. Hjoula has a total land area o ...
and
Mayfouq
Mayfouq ( ar, ميفوق) is a village and municipality in the Byblos District of Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon. It is located 64 km north of Beirut. Mayfouq has an average elevation of 860 meters above sea level and its total land area ...
Lebanon.
Paleobiology Database
/ref>
References
Penaeidae
Late Cretaceous crustaceans
Monotypic arthropod genera
Cenomanian genera
Fossils of Lebanon
Fossil taxa described in 1994
Cretaceous Lebanon
Late Cretaceous arthropods of Asia
{{Dendrobranchiata-stub