page_title: Thalassina
section_title: Fossil record
hierarchical_section_title: Thalassina / Fossil record
caption_attribution_description: English&#x3a;&#32; Thalassina anomala. Fossils of the mud lobster, have been collected over the years from various locations in the northern coastal regions of the Northern Territory and Queensland. Being a crustacean, Thalassina anomala has an exoskeleton which it sheds through its stages of growth. It is this hard outer form of lobsters from past times which forms the basis of the fossils that are now found. The full exoskeleton is rarely found fully preserved and most often the pieces are encased in quite solid sedimentary material which looks just like mud. Stage&#160;: Holocene Locality&#160;: Gunn Point, N Territory, Australia Size&#160;: 8.6x3.5x4.0 cmFrançais&#x202f;&#x3a;&#32; Thalassina anomala Les fossiles du "homard de boue", ont été recueillies depuis plusiers années à divers endroits dans les régions côtières du nord du Territoire du Nord et du Queensland en Australie. Thalassina anomala a un exosquelette qui est renouvelé au fur et à mesure des étapes de croissance. Ce sont eux qui forment la base des fossiles que l'on trouvent désormais. L'exosquelette complet est rarement trouvé, entièrement préservé et le plus souvent ce sont de morceaux épars sans connexions qui sont enfermés dans un matériel sédimentaire solide qui ressemble à de la boue. Etage&#160;: Holocène Localité&#160;: Gunn Point, N Territory, Australie Taille : 8,6x3,5x4,0 cm
context_page_description: Thalassina is a genus of mud lobsters found in the mangrove swamps of the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean. Its nocturnal burrowing is important for the recycling of nutrients in the mangrove ecosystem, although it is sometimes considered a pest of fish and prawn farms.
context_section_description: Fossils of Thalassina are encountered "in countless numbers", and extend back as far as the Miocene. They are generally preserved in a hard phosphatic nodule which is believed to be the animal's moulting position. Storms may trap the animals in their burrows, and the mineral-rich nature of the sediments leads to very rapid fossilisation. The presence of Thalassina, together with other warm-water species in the Miocene of Japan (outside the current range of the species) is taken as confirmation of a period of increased temperatures 16 million years ago.
caption: Thalassina anomala - Fossil
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