Atherfieldastacus rapax (Harbort, 1905) (Glypheidae, Mecochiridae) from the Lower Cretaceous of the Maestrat Basin (NE Spain)

Abstract

Three specimens of the lobster 'Meyeria rapax', which represent the first record of this species in Spain, were collected in the Artoles Formation cropping out in the surroundings of the town of Ares del Maestrat in the Maestrat Basin. Microfacies and paleontological analyses of the sedimentary succession containing the fossil lobsters allow us to infer a near-coastal depositional setting. Numerical ages derived from Sr-isotope analyses combined with previous chronostratigraphic studies of the Artoles Formation suggest an early Barremian age for the stratigraphic interval, which is located around the middle part of the formation, with lobsters studied. The study of the morphological features observed in the record of the 'Meyeria rapax' specimens from Spain supports the ascription of the species to the new genus Atherfieldastacus proposed recently for the Mecochiridae family.