Mesogalathea ardua sp. nov., a new species of squat lobster (Decapoda, Galatheidae) from the Upper Jurassic olistolith at Velika Strmica (Dolenjska, Slovenia)

Abstract

A new species of squat lobster, Mesogalathea ardua sp. nov., is described on the basis of newly collected dorsal carapaces from an Upper Jurassic reefal limestone olistolith at Velika Strmica. The fossiliferous olistolith is situated within Upper Cretaceous flysch-type deposits, but originally formed within the central parastromatoporoid zone of a Jurassic reef complex. Mesogalathea ardua sp. nov. represents the first formal description of a Jurassic squat lobster from Slovenia and extends the known palaeobiogeographical distribution of galatheoid anomurans.