Paleozoic-Mesozoic crayfish from Antarctica: Earliest evidence of freshwater decapod crustaceans

Abstract

Research Article| June 01, 1998 Paleozoic-Mesozoic crayfish from Antarctica: Earliest evidence of freshwater decapod crustaceans Loren E. Babcock; Loren E. Babcock 1Department of Geological Sciences and Byrd Polar Research Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Molly F. Miller; Molly F. Miller 2Geology Department, Box 6001, Station B, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar John L. Isbell; John L. Isbell 3Department of Geosciences, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar James W. Collinson; James W. Collinson 1Department of Geological Sciences and Byrd Polar Research Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Stephen T. Hasiotis Stephen T. Hasiotis 4Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (1998) 26 (6): 539–542. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1998)026<0539:PMCFAE>2.3.CO;2 Article history first online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Loren E. Babcock, Molly F. Miller, John L. Isbell, James W. Collinson, Stephen T. Hasiotis; Paleozoic-Mesozoic crayfish from Antarctica: Earliest evidence of freshwater decapod crustaceans. Geology 1998;; 26 (6): 539–542. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1998)026<0539:PMCFAE>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Discovery of an Early Permian claw from Antarctica extends the fossil record of crayfish by ∼65 m.y. and demonstrates that decapod crustaceans had radiated into freshwater habitats by the late Paleozoic. Burrows in Lower Triassic rocks of Antarctica are among the oldest apparently constructed by crayfish. Their morphology is similar to modern crayfish burrows, and this demonstrates that burrowing behavior was established early in the evolution of this group. The new discoveries show that the earliest Permian crayfish were distributed in high paleolatitudes of southernmost Pangea, where they lived in freshwater lakes fed by glacial meltwater. Modern crayfish habitat, used as a guide to crayfish temperature tolerance, indicates that summer temperatures of streams and lakes near the South Pole that supported the crayfish probably reached 10–20 °C during Permian-Triassic interglacial intervals. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.