''Vultocinus anfractus'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura (meaning "short tailed" in Greek language, Greek), which typically have a very short projecting tail-like abdomen#Arthropoda, abdomen, usually hidden entirely under the Thorax (arthropo ...

, the only species in the family Vultocinidae. It has been found around the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, east o ...

and

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

, and lives on

driftwood Driftwood is a wood that has been washed onto a shore or beach of a sea, lake, or river by the action of winds, tides or waves. It is part of beach wrack. In some waterfront areas, driftwood is a major nuisance. However, the driftwood provides ...

. Its discovery forced a reappraisal of the relationships within the superfamily

Goneplacoidea Goneplacoidea is a superfamily of crabs containing 11 extant families, and two families known only from fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geolo ...

, and to the recognition of

Mathildellidae Mathildellidae is family of crabs belonging to the superfamily Goneplacoidea Goneplacoidea is a superfamily of crabs containing 11 extant families, and two families known only from fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any pre ...

, Conleyidae and Progeryonidae as separate families.

References

Goneplacoidea Monotypic decapod genera {{Eubrachyura-stub