Museum Ranilia Fossil Crab

High resolution images above, other images below

Description: I have come into possession of two specimens of this extraordinary crab genus. It comes from one of the world’s foremost decapod collections. To begin, this is not a composite. It is situated exactly where it died and how it was fossilized after being painstakingly curated from the matrix in which it became entombed. The specimen is visually stunning, with the full carapace, both claws and many of the legs are revealed; a testament to the art of fossil preparation.

Raninidae is an unusual crab family, taken by most scientists to be quite primitive, and believed to be adapted to deep water. They are often called frog crabs, the reasons for which are apparent in the extant genus Lyreidus's carapace shown to the right. These animals closely resemble the (unrelated) mole crabs, due to parallel evolution or evolutionary relay. In both groups, the claws are modified into tools for digging, and the body has a rounded shape that facilitates burial in sand to hide from predators. Unlike most other true crabs, the abdomens of raninids are not curled under the cephalothorax.

Please access this on-line professional paper for more information concerning this Ranilia species.
http://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2003SC/finalprogram/abstract_50074.htm

This crab crawled the sea floor at around the same time as Homo habilis walked the land. Crab fossil specialists will recognize this gem as a unique opportunity.