Macropipus, Prestandrea, 1833

Italy, Nw, Pasini, Giovanni, Garassino, Alessandro & Damarco, Piero, 2018, Short Communication Report of brachyuran crabs (Crustacea, Decapoda) from the Pliocene of Borgomanero, Novara (Piedmont, NW Italy), Natural History Sciences 5 (2), pp. 12437-12437 : 12437-

Macropipus cf. M. tuberculatus (Roux, 1830) ( Fig. 4 )

Material and measurements: One incomplete carapace in dorsal view ( MPOM 798).

Description: small suboval carapace, wider than long, whole dorsal surface coarsely granulate with tubercles often carinate; elevated dorsal regions defined by grooves; front with three distinct sharp teeth anteriorly directed, median tooth more projected than lateral ones; wide ovoid orbits, wide, about ½ of the frontal margin; granulate dorsal orbital margins with a V sharped incision ; anterolateral margin convex, with some spaced pointed teeth slightly curved anteriorly, poorly preserved (more than three, possibly 5?); posterolateral and posterior margin poorly preserved, probably straight.

Discussion. Though the lateral and posterior margins are poorly preserved, the studied specimen shares some diagnostic characters distinctive with Macropipus tuberculatus (Roux, 1830) , such as the “… dorsal carapace coarsely granulate with tubercles often carinate; elevated dorsal regions; front with three alternate teeth frontally directed with median tooth more projected than laterals ones; granulate dorsal orbital margins with a V sharped incision and the anterolateral margin convex, with spaced pointed (5) teeth …” ( Koch & Ďuriš, 2016: 124). Due to the poor preservation, we prudentially compare the specimen with M. tuberculatus (Roux, 1830) . This is the first record for this species in the fossil record, dating back to the Pliocene its presence in the Mediterranean Sea. Though Secrétan (1975) reported M. ovalipes from the middle Eocene of Monte Bolca (Verona, N Italy), the only representative for the genus known to date, its systematic assignment would need a critical review. The extant M. tuberculatus is distributed from the Eastern and N Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea in sandy and clayey substrates, ranging from less than one meter (occasionally) to nearly 800 meters deep ( Zariquiey Álvarez, 1968; d’Udekem d’Acoz, 1999).

Figures

Fig. 4 - Macropipus cf. M. tuberculatus (Roux, 1830), MPOM 798 (x 6).