''Paralomis debodeorum'' is an extinct species of

king crab King crabs are a taxon of decapod crustaceans chiefly found in cold seas. Because of their large size and the taste of their meat, many species are widely caught and sold as food, the most common being the red king crab (''Paralithodes camtsch ...

which lived in New Zealand during the

Middle Middle or The Middle may refer to: * Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits. Places * Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man * Middle Bay (disambiguation) * Middle Brook (disambiguation) * Middle Creek (d ...

–

Late Miocene The Late Miocene (also known as Upper Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages. The Tortonian and Messinian stages comprise the Late Miocene sub-epoch, which lasted from 11.63 Ma (million years ago) to 5.333 Ma. The ...

. It was discovered in the Greta Siltstone on Motunau Beach,

North Canterbury Canterbury ( mi, Waitaha) is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of , making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of The region in its current fo ...

, near the

mouth In animal anatomy, the mouth, also known as the oral cavity, or in Latin cavum oris, is the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds. It is also the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal, bounded on t ...

of the

Motunau River The Motunau River is a river of the north Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It flows south-east from coastal hills south-west of Cheviot, reaching the Pacific Ocean at Motunau Beach at the northern tip of Pegasus Bay Pegasus ...

. It is a moderate-sized ''Paralomis'' and most closely resembles the extant '' Paralomis zealandica''. It is the first and only lithodid in the fossil record.

Etymology

The species name "''debodeorum''" takes its namesake from amateur fossil collectors John and Ann DeBode.

Notes

References

King crabs Miocene crustaceans Marine crustaceans of New Zealand Fossils of New Zealand Fossil taxa described in 1998 Crustaceans described in 1998 {{paleo-crustacean-stub