page_title: Carpilioidea
hierarchical_section_title: Carpilioidea
caption_attribution_description: Harpactoxanthopsis quadrilobata from the Eocene of Italy (public display, Orton Geology Museum, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA). Classification: Animalia, Arthropoda, Crustacea, Malacostraca, Eucarida, Decapoda, Brachyura, Xanthoidea, Xanthidae Stratigraphy: Castelgomberto Formation, Lutetian Stage, lower Middle Eocene Locality: Venetia Region, northern Italy Crabs (= brachyuran decapod crustaceans) are found in Jurassic to Holocene sedimentary rocks. Complete or near-complete specimens are scarce. They have a relatively shortened carapace, compared to lobsters and crayfish, and have the abdominal section of the body turned underneath &amp; essentially fused with the carapace. Small to large claws (chelae) occur at the distal ends of the 1st pair of appendages. Decapods have 5 pairs of appendages - 10 in all - “decapod” means “ten-legged”. Most crabs are marine (oceanic), but some forms are freshwater or terrestrial. Their feeding habits range from predation to scavenging to algal grazing to filter feeding, etc.
context_page_description: Carpilioidea is a superfamily of crabs containing a single extant family, Carpiliidae and three extinct families. The modern range of the family includes the Indo-Pacific, Western Atlantic and Caribbean Sea. The fossil record of the group extends back at least as far as the Paleocene.
context_section_description: Carpilioidea is a superfamily of crabs containing a single extant family, Carpiliidae and three extinct families. The modern range of the family includes the Indo-Pacific, Western Atlantic and Caribbean Sea. The fossil record of the group extends back at least as far as the Paleocene.
caption: Harpactoxanthopsis quadrilobata fossil,  Middle Eocene, Venetia Region, northern Italy
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