| A new raninoidian crab, Bellcarcinus aptiensis gen. nov., sp. nov., is described from the upper Aptian of Colombia. The new genus displays a combination of traits seen among some ancient species within the Necrocarcinidae and Orithopsidae, obscuring its family placement. This taxon represents the sixth known genus of pre-Albian raninoidians worldwide, and the fourth known from Colombia, in addition to Joeranina, Planocarcinus and Colombicarcinus. Bellcarcinus gen. nov., together with other Early Cretaceous finds from Colombia and Brazil, represents early stocks of stem-group frog crabs, which indicate that tropical South America might have played an important role in the early radiation of the group. Palabras clave – Aptiano, nuevo taxón, Neotrópico,... |
