Tumidocarcinus Explained

Tumidocarcinus is an extinct genus of crabs in the family Tumidocarcinidae, containing the following species:^[1]

• Tumidocarcinus dentatus
• Tumidocarcinus foersteri
• Tumidocarcinus giganteus
• Tumidocarcinus tumidus
• Tumidocarcinus victoriensis

It is a host of the parasitic Kentrogonida barnacles.^[2]

Fossil record

This genus is known in the fossil record from the Eocene to the Miocene epoch. Most species of Tumidocarcinus are known from New Zealand and Australia, however, T. foersteri is known from the La Meseta Formation from Seymour Island, Antarctica.^[3]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Mindat.org. 2021-12-04. www.mindat.org.
2. Feldmann, R. (1998). Parasitic castration of the crab, Tumidocarcinus giganteus Glaessner, from the Miocene of New Zealand: Coevolution within the Crustacea. Journal of Paleontology, 72(3), 493-498. doi:10.1017/S0022336000024264
3. Aguirre-Urreta, M., Marenssi, S., & Santillana, S. (1995). A new Eocene crab (Crustacea, Decapoda) from Seymour Island, Antarctica. Antarctic Science, 7(3), 277-281. doi:10.1017/S0954102095000381