This discovery is unique because it is the first dinosaur-era crab preserved in amber.
The discovery of an almost perfectly preserved crab in 100-million-year-old amber, the oldest modern-looking amber ever found, clarifies the evolutionary history of these crustaceans.
Your description is published in the review Science Advances and the research is led by scientists from Harvard University.
The piece of amber was recovered in the jungle of Southeast Asia -in Burma- and the crab measures 5 millimeters; researchers believe it represents the oldest evidence of incursions into non-marine environments by “true crabs.”
True crabs (known as “Brachyurans”) are in contrast to “false crabs” (“Anomurans”) that are not technically crabs, but are sometimes called that, according to a US university statement.
The discovery now published is “unique” for many reasons: “Not only is it very well preserved, it is also the first dinosaur-era crab preserved in amber, which is rare for aquatic animals.” points out the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, which is also participating in the study.
Earlier fossil records, consisting mainly of pincer pieces, suggested that non-marine crabs reached land and freshwater between 75 and 50 million years ago.
This new finding pushes this hypothesis back to at least 100 million years ago, answering the researchers’ initial question about what this crab was doing in the jungle, and putting the fossil record in line with theories about the genetic history of crabs that have been kept for a long time.
“If we rebuilt the crabs’ tree of life, that is, a family tree, and performed a molecular DNA analysis, the prediction would be that non-marine crabs split from their marine ancestors more than 125 million years ago,” explains Javier Luque, from Harvard.
“But there is a problem because the actual fossil record – the one that we can touch – is very young, 75 to 50 million years old. So this new fossil and its mid-Cretaceous age allows us to bridge the gap between the predicted molecular divergence. and the actual fossil record of crabs. “
The new fossil species was christened “Cretapsara athanata” or “the immortal Cretaceous spirit of clouds and waters.” The name honors his age and the mythological spirits of South and Southeast Asia.
The creature from about 100 million years ago suspended in amber is instantly recognizable as a true crab; Researchers say it is the most complete fossilized crab ever discovered.
Thanks to computerized microtomography scanners, the team was able to see delicate tissues such as antennae or legs, eyes and even their gills in great detail. “Not a single hair was missing,” they say.
The fossilized amber specimen is in the Longyin Amber Museum in China; the piece was collected by local miners and legally acquired in 2015. (I)
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