Fossil calibrations for molecular analyses and divergence time estimation for true crabs (Decapoda: Brachyura)
Journal: bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Year: 2023

ABSTRACT True crabs, or Brachyura, comprise over 7,600 known species and are among the most ecologically dominant, economically significant, and popularly recognized group of extant crustaceans. There are over 3,000 fossil brachyuran species known from mid and upper Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Cenozoic deposits across the globe, many of them preserved in exquisite detail, but the origins and early evolution of true crabs remain unresolved. This uncertainty hinders the identification of the stratig