[Palaeontology, Vol. 53, Part 6, 2010, pp. 1315–1348] A NEW CORAL-ASSOCIATED DECAPOD ASSEMBLAGE FROM THE UPPER MIOCENE (MESSINIAN) UPPER CORALLINE LIMESTONE OF MALTA (CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN) by MICHAEL GATT* and ANTONIO DE ANGELI à *‘Cidaris’, 18 Hal-Bajjada Street, Rabat RBT2030, Malta; e-mail
[email protected] Piazzetta Nostro Tetto, 9, 36100 Vicenza, Italy àMuseo Civico G. Zannato, Piazza Marconi, 15, 36075 Montecchio Maggiore, Vicenza, Italy; e-mail
[email protected] Typescript received 13 May 2009; accepted in revised form 10 November 2009 Abstract: A rich coral-associated decapod assemblage is D’Oliveira, 1888, are also recorded for the first time from recorded from the ‘Depiru Beds’ of the upper part of the Malta. Other Neogene coral-associated decapod assemblages Upper Coralline Limestone (Messinian, Upper Miocene), are investigated and correlated with the new assemblage from from the island of Malta. Nineteen species within 17 genera Malta. The migration of taxa between the Mediterranean have been discovered, where 14 genera are new for Malta. region and the Paratethys, particularly during the Lower Four new species are described, namely Micippa annamariae Badenian (Langhian), is evidenced by the strong affinity of sp. nov., Pilumnus scaber sp. nov., Panopeus muelleri sp. nov. the Maltese decapod assemblage with that of the Middle and Herbstia melitense sp. nov. Herbstia melitense sp. nov. Miocene Badenian assemblages from Hungary, Poland and constitutes the first record of the genus from the fossil Ukraine. Upper Miocene, Messinian assemblages from Spain, record in the Mediterranean region. This discovery more Algeria and Morocco are also similar to that from Malta.