Pulalius vulgaris

Taxonomy

Pulalius vulgaris

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Family: Xanthoidea
Genus: Pulalius
Species: Pulalius vulgaris

Geological Time Scale

Eon: Phanerozoic
Era: Cenozoic
Period: Paleogene
Sub Period: None
Epoch: Eocene

Stratigraphy

Lincoln Creek Formation

Provenance

Date Collected: 05/05/2019
Acquired by: Purchase/Trade

Dimensions

Width: 3
Height: 1.7
Thickness: 2.5
Diameter: 3

Location

Grays Harbor County
Washington
United States

• lincoln creek
• pulalius vulgaris
• washington state
• crab
• miocene

Comments

These elusive crustaceans are found within the Lincoln Creek formation near Astoria in Washington. During the Eocene, Grays Harbor was a hub of activity for marine life. This was shortly after the dinosaurs went extinct and life was blossoming once again. The Lincoln Creek is primarily formed from siltstone and marine deposited sandstone where concretions containing the ancient remains of crabs and other fossils exist. Calcareous concretions, many of which contain megafossils[1]. Like other crabs (i.e. Fiddler) these crabs have a dominant claw which is aligned on the right side of the crab. There's some evidence online which suggests this dominant claw was used to attract mates, defend themselves, and vie for territory. These crabs are difficult to prepare requiring on average twenty to forty hours of preparation time as the concretion (nodule) they are encapsulated in is condensed. Most of the sites once accessible within the formation are now closed to the public and the lands are now privately owned.

 

Sources:

[1] GS The Lincoln Creek Formation Grays Harbor Basin Southwestern Washington (BEIKMAN, RAU, and WAGNER) : https://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/1244i/report.pdf