A new coral-associated decapod assemblage from the Upper Miocene (Messinian) Upper Coralline Limestone of Malta (Central Mediterranean)

Abstract

A rich coral-associated decapod assemblage is recorded from the 'Depiru Beds' of the upper part of the Upper Coralline Limestone (Messinian, Upper Miocene), from the island of Malta. Nineteen species within 17 genera have been discovered, where 14 genera are new for Malta. Four new species are described, namely Micippa annamariae sp. nov., Pilumnus scaber sp. nov., Panopeus muelleri sp. nov. and Herbstia melitense sp. nov. Herbstia melitense sp. nov. constitutes the first record of the genus from the fossil record in the Mediterranean region. This discovery more than doubles the number of known fossil decapod species from Malta. The fossil bivalve Jouannetia (J.) semicaudata Des Moulins, 1830 and the extant decapod Maja goltziana D'Oliveira, 1888, are also recorded for the first time from Malta. Other Neogene coral-associated decapod assemblages are investigated and correlated with the new assemblage from Malta. The migration of taxa between the Mediterranean region and the Paratethys, particularly during the Lower Badenian (Langhian), is evidenced by the strong affinity of the Maltese decapod assemblage with that of the Middle Miocene Badenian assemblages from Hungary, Poland and Ukraine. Upper Miocene, Messinian assemblages from Spain, Algeria and Morocco are also similar to that from Malta.

The Middle Miocene of the Fore-Carpathian Basin (Poland, Ukraine and Moldova)

“…area) and the uppermost Badenian (Roztocze). The taxonomic composition of these assemblages is almost identical to the assemblages recorded in other reefal deposits of Miocene (Müller 1984(Müller , 1993Gatt and de Angeli 2010;Ósso and Stalennuy 2011;Górka et al 2012) or younger (Pliocene/Pleistocene) age (see Karasawa 2000). Only one additional species, Dardanus hungaricus (Lőrenthey, 1929), was later recorded by Górka (2002) in the reefal facies of the well-known Grobie site (Text- fig.…”

The fossil record of Glypturus Stimpson, 1866 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Axiidea, Callianassidae) revisited, with notes on palaeoecology and palaeobiogeography

“…2006, 2007 and references therein). The sole late Miocene (Messinian) record of the species is from coralline limestones of Malta (Gatt and De Angeli 2010).…”

“…The youngest European (Tethyan) record is G. munieri comb. nov. from the upper Miocene of Malta (Gatt and De Angeli 2011). Its final disappearance from the Proto‐Mediterranean–Atlantic Region at the end of the Miocene can be correlated with the Messinian Salinity Crisis, which left marine faunas of the Mediterranean basins severely impoverished (Hsü et al .…”

“…Occurrence. This species has been recorded from the middle Miocene (‘Badenian’) of Hungary (Lőrenthey 1897; Lőrenthey and Beurlen 1929; Müller 1984 a ) and Austria (herein), as well as the upper Miocene (Messinian) of Malta (Gatt and De Angeli 2010).…”

Calappa praelata Lőrenthey in Lőrenthey & Beurlen, 1929 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Calappidae) from the Middle Miocene of Tresnuraghes (Oristano, Sardegna, Italy)

“…The main characters allow assignement of the studied specimen to Calappa Weber, 1795 (Calappidae De Haan, 1833). The studied specimen has been compared with Calappa praelata Lőrenthey in Lőrenthey & Beurlen, 1929, from the Middle-Upper Miocene of Hungary, Poland, Austria, Spain, and Malta (Lőrenthey, 1929in Lőrenthey & Beurlen, 1929Veiga Ferreira, 1954, Bachmayer, 1962Förster, 1979;Müller, 1984aMüller, , 1984bMüller, , 1996Müller, , 1998Gatt & De Angeli, 2010) and with C. heberti Brocchi, 1883, from the Upper Miocene of Hungary (Müller, 1984). Some morphological characters, such as the posterolateral margins with 5-6 complete, triangular, broad pointed spines on each side (posterolateral margins spineless in C. heberti) and the strongly raised longitudinal ridges, bearing five large well-developed, often aligned tubercles (weak rounded longitudinal tuberculate ridges in C. heberti), allow ascribing the studied specimen to Calappa praelata.…”