New nisto of slipper lobster (Decapoda: Scyllaridae) from the hadjoula lagerstätte (Late cretaceous, Lebanon)

Abstract

Slipper lobsters (Decapoda: Scyllaridae) are rather rare in the fossil record. The exceptionally well-preserved scyllarid decapod described herein comes from the Late Cretaceous Hadjoula Lagersttte, Lebanon. This new specimen represents the first fossil "postlarval" stage (nisto) described, and it is assigned with confidence to Arctidinae. Converging lines of evidence from the depositional environment and comparisons with modern analogues indicate that this nisto probably lived in small intra-shelf basins before migrating to shallow-water conditions during the adult stage. © 2012 The Crustacean Society. Published by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden.