First Record of Dromia Neogenica Müller, 1979 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Dromiidae) from Neogene Strata in the Southern North Sea Basin
FIRST RECORD OF DROMIA NEOGENICA MÜLLER, 1979 (DECAPODA, BRACHYURA, DROMIIDAE) FROM NEOGENE STRATA IN THE SOUTHERN NORTH SEA BASIN BY RENÉ H.B. FRAAIJE1,4), BARRY W.M. VAN BAKEL1,2,5) and JOHN W.M. JAGT3,6) 1) Oertijdmuseum De Groene Poort, Bosscheweg 80, NL-5283 Boxtel, The Netherlands 2) Nederlands Centrum voor Biodiversiteit (Naturalis), P.O. Box 9517, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands 3) Natuurhistorisch Museum Maastricht, de Bosquetplein 6-7, NL-6211 KJ Maastricht, The Netherlands ABSTRACT The sponge crab Dromia neogenica Müller, 1979 (Dromiidae) is recorded for the first time from strata of Neogene (late Miocene-early Pliocene) age in the southern North Sea Basin, on the basis of two concretion-preserved carapaces from Bemmel (north of Nijmegen, province of Gelderland, The Netherlands). The presence of this species, which was previously known from the middle-upper Miocene of Hungary and Algeria, suggests relatively higher seawater temperatures in the North Sea during the late Miocene-early Pliocene. Morphological differences (extraorbital and anterolateral teeth, development of cervical and branchiocardiac grooves) between D. neogenica and extant D. personata (Linnaeus, 1758) are relatively minor. This observation, coupled with the absence of the former species in mid-Pliocene and younger strata, and with the robust record of the latter in the mid-Pliocene to upper Pleistocene of Italy, would indicate that D. neogenica and D. personata are closely related, and probably represent the same lineage. RÉSUMÉ La dromie éponge Dromia neogenica Müller, 1979 (Dromiidae) est signalée pour la premiére fois dans les strates du Néogène (fin du Miocène-début du Pliocène) du sud du bassin de la mer du Nord.
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