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  • Home
  • About iDigBio and the AR Collection Card Project
  • ARPEO Project
  • PROJECT REPORT 2022
  • Macrofungi: The Daisy Earthstar
    • New England Vascular Plants: The Cardinal Flower
    • Take a Closer Look: Reindeer moss
    • Take a Closer Look: Daisy Earthstars
  • The Consortia of North American Lichens and Bryophytes: Greygreen Reindeer Lichen
    • Keys to the Cabinet: SE Plants: The White-topped Pitcher Plant
  • Invertnet Collection Network: The Thorn Bug
    • Take a Closer Look: Thorn Bug Treehopper
  • Paleoniches: Brachiopods
  • Ammonite
  • iDigBio: Channel Catfish
  • Great Lakes Invasive Network: Zebra mussel
  • Tri-Trophic Thematic Collection Network: Stink Bug Parasitoid
  • Macroalgal: Elk Kelp
  • Insect Fossils: Tsetse Fly
  • SCAN: Earth-boring Scarab Beetle
  • InvertEBase: Carolina Mantis
  • EPICC: Fossil Crab
  • Animal Communication: Ruby-throated Hummingbird
  • Poweshiek Skipperling
  • RINGTAIL
  • Tarantula Hawk
    • Take a Closer Look: at the Tarantula Hawk
  • Sonoran Mantid
  • California Leaf-nosed Bat
    • Take a Closer Look: Bat Wings
  • Pipevine Swallowtail
    • Plants to attract Pipevine Swallowtails
  • Desert Hairy Scorpion
  • Gila Monster
  • Ocotillo
  • California Poppy
  • Anna's hummingbird
    • Plants to attract Hummingbirds
  • Monarch
    • Plants to attract Monarchs
  • Bumblebee
    • Plants to Attract Bumblebees
  • White-nosed coati
  • Asian Long-horned beetle
    • ALB Life Cycle
  • Learning Resources
    • Latitude and Longitude Game
  • Special Thanks
  • Give Us Your Feedback!
  • Contact Us
  • Specimen Cards
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • TEST page
  • Human Evolution lab
  • Skull 8

FOSSIL Crab: Did you know?

Picture
Click link to download card
Pulalius vulgaris  (
Rathburn, 1926)

Crabs​ ​are​ ​primarily​​ ​​aquatic​ ​invertebrates​ ​with​ ​an​ ​exoskeleton​ ​and​ ​jointed​ ​appendages. Many​ ​crabs​ ​are​ ​predators/scavengers​ ​and​ ​eat​ ​mollusks​ ​and​ ​other​ ​small​ ​living​ ​or​ ​dead animals.​ ​Though​ ​thousands​ ​of​ ​species​ ​of​ ​crabs​ ​live​ ​in​ ​today’s​ ​oceans,​ ​the​ ​entire​ ​family that includes this crab is extinct.

This​ ​crab​ ​may​ ​have​ ​used​ ​its​ ​claws​ ​to​ ​crush​ ​the​ ​shells​ ​of​ ​mollusks.​ ​Crabs​ ​living​ ​today crush​ ​and​ ​chip​ ​shells​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​prying​ ​them​ ​open​ ​in​ ​order​ ​to​ ​eat​ ​the​ ​organism​ ​inside the​ ​shell.​ ​The​ ​claws​ ​on​ ​this​ ​specimen​ ​include​ ​molariform​ ​teeth​ ​(see​ ​photo​ ​below),​ ​which may​ ​be​ ​fortified​ ​with​ ​minerals​ ​to​ ​increase​ ​their​ ​strength.  
​
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​Attached​ ​to​ ​the​ ​exoskeleton​ ​of​ ​this​ ​crab​ ​are​ ​two​ ​white​ ​barnacles.​ ​Barnacles​ ​are​ ​another type​ ​of​ ​arthropod​ ​that​ ​permanently​ ​attach​ ​itself​ ​to​ ​hard​ ​surfaces.​ ​The red circle in the image below shows two white barnacles attached to the exoskeleton of the crab. 
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These​ ​barnacles likely​ ​attached​ ​to​ ​the​ ​crab​ ​while​ ​it​ ​was​ ​still​ ​alive,​ ​but​ ​would​ ​not​ ​have​ ​harmed​ ​the​ ​crab. Barnacles​ ​are​ ​filter​ ​feeders​ ​and​ ​feed​ ​on​ ​microscopic​ ​organisms​ ​in​ ​the​ ​water. This crab was collected from the Lincoln Creek Formation of Washington state, though the exact environment it came from is a mystery. The completeness of this crab suggests it was buried quickly. When crabs are exposed on the surface after death, their claws and legs separate from the main carapace. This specimen is approximately 30 million years old. The completeness of the specimen allows scientists to learn about the anatomy of this extinct family (Tumidocarcinidae). 

The iDigBio portal has at least 20 occurrences of this species of crab, including this specimen from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. 
​
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You can view hundreds of records of crab specimens on the iDigBio portal by clicking on the map below! ​
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​Credits:

Project's Library of Life Lead: Erica Clites
3-D Model: Holly Little
Page Images:  Credit to James Di Loreto, Smithsonian Institution 
Acknowledgements: Adiel A. Klompmaker


More information:
http://epicctcn.org  

EPICC Vitual Field Experiences
http://epiccvfe.berkeley.edu 

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