A reconsideration of the palinuroid family Synaxidae (Crustacea, Decapoda), with a new member from the Upper Jurassic of southern Poland

Abstract

Representatives of the family Synaxidae, commonly referred to as furry lobsters, are rare constituents of modern-day marine communities, while their fossil record suggests that they were more common in the past, in reefal settings during the Late Jurassic across Europe, from where at least three species have been recorded to date. An overview of all known extant and extinct synaxids is presented here and a sixth fossil form is added to the list. The latter constitutes one of the earliest records to date of furry lobsters worldwide and extends the palaeogeographical range of this relatively small group of early palinuroids. It was collected from massive sponge-microbial build-ups (reefal limestones) of middle Oxfordian age (Gregoryceras transversarium ammonite Zone) near Kraków, southern Poland, and is here named Palaeosynaxes montserratae nov. gen., nov. sp.