Retroplumidae is a
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
of
heterotremata
Heterotremata is a clade of crabs, comprising those crabs in which the genital openings are on the sternum in females, but on the legs in males. It comprises 68 families in 28 superfamilies.
Evolution
Heterotremata is the sister group to Thorac ...
n
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 ...
s, placed in their own (
monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...
)
superfamily
SUPERFAMILY is a database and search platform of structural and functional annotation for all proteins and genomes. It classifies amino acid sequences into known structural domains, especially into SCOP superfamilies. Domains are functional, str ...
, Retroplumoidea.
Classification
Eight genera are recognised, of which all but two are only known from
fossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
s:
*''
Archaeopus'' †
Rathbun, 1908
*''
Bathypluma''
de Saint Laurent, 1989
*''
Costacopluma'' †
Collins & Morris, 1975
*''
Cristipluma'' †
Bishop, 1983a
*''
Loerentheya'' †
Lőrenthey, in Lőrenthey & Beurlen, 1929
*''
Loerenthopluma'' †
Beschin, Busulini, De Angeli & Tessier, 1996
*''
Retrocypoda'' †
Vía, 1959
*''
Retropluma''
Gill, 1894
Ten species in two genera survive in the
deep sea
The deep sea is broadly defined as the ocean depth where light begins to fade, at an approximate depth of 200 metres (656 feet) or the point of transition from continental shelves to continental slopes. Conditions within the deep sea are a combin ...
of the
Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth.
In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...
region:
*''
Bathypluma chuni''
(Doflein, 1904)
*''
Bathypluma forficula''
De Saint Laurent, 1989
*''
Bathypluma spinifer''
De Saint Laurent, 1989
*''
Retropluma denticulata''
Rathbun, 1932
*''
Retropluma quadrata''
De Saint Laurent, 1989
*''
Retropluma notopus''
(Alcock & Anderson, 1894)
*''
Retropluma planiforma''
Kensley, 1969
*''
Retropluma plumosa''
Tesch, 1918
*''
Retropluma serenei''
De Saint Laurent, 1989
*''
Retropluma solomonensis''
McLay, 2006
Fossil specimens ascribed to the Retroplumidae are known from the
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''creta'', the ...
onwards, with ''
Archaeopus antennatus'' in
Coniacian
The Coniacian is an age or stage in the geologic timescale. It is a subdivision of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or Upper Cretaceous Series and spans the time between 89.8 ± 1 Ma and 86.3 ± 0.7 Ma (million years ago). The Coniacian is preceded by t ...
–
Maastrichtian
The Maastrichtian () is, in the ICS geologic timescale, the latest age (uppermost stage) of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or Upper Cretaceous Series, the Cretaceous Period or System, and of the Mesozoic Era or Erathem. It spanned the interval from ...
rocks in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
and ''
Archaeopus ezoensis'' from
Turonian
The Turonian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the second age in the Late Cretaceous Epoch, or a stage in the Upper Cretaceous Series. It spans the time between 93.9 ± 0.8 Ma and 89.8 ± 1 Ma (million years ago). The Turonian is preceded by t ...
–Maastrichtian rocks from
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
.
References
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q903309, from2=Q15146101
Crabs
Extant Maastrichtian first appearances
Decapod families