A new species of cancroid crab from the Pliocene of California
J. Dale Nations
A new cancroid crab, Cancer davidi n. sp., is described from the middle Pliocene Etchegoin Formation of Kettleman Hills, California. It shows affinities with the Pleistocene to Recent Cancer gracilis Dana of the west coast of North America and is probably ancestral to it. A brief summary of fossil species of Cancer from the West Coast is given. Cancer davidi was associated with Anadara, Forreria, Kelletia and Trachycardium, genera which are characteristic of intertidal to sublittoral depths in areas where the minimum average surface temperature (February) is 13 degrees C or higher. Salinity of 20 ppm, or above, is indicated by the presence of Dendraster.
This record provided courtesy of AGI/GeoRef.
