Is This A Crab Carapace Or Just A Fragment Of A Claw Or Some Other Body Part? And If So, What Crab?

[claire01]

As always, thanks for any help! This is very small, about 1/2 inch in size.

Cenomanian. Eagle Ford. North Texas.

Edited July 11, 2014 by claire01

[erose]

Definitely looks like a carapace. Excellent find.

[CStewart]

I just walked passed that! LOL

[claire01]

Thanks, you guys! I'm guessing notopocorystes then?

[FossilDAWG]

I'm on board with crab carapace, but I would be hesitant about calling it a "Notopocorystes" just yet. [side note: Notopocorystes dichrous has been assigned to the genus Ferroranina.] If I'm seeing it right there's a lot of the specimen still buried in the rock, which would have to be at least partially uncovered to gain more info for an ID. I think the specimen shows the back margin and part of the side, with the front still buried. If this is right (and I'm not sure) the posterior side margin bears some serrations/spines that I don't see on my Ferroranina specimens.

Don

[claire01]

Thank you, Don.

So I flipped this over (the rock this little crab is in is pretty big - Approx. 10" x 8" and a good 4 "thick) and I noticed this:

That brown area in the first photo is about 1.5 x .50 inches and feels like carapace.

The second photo is sort of top view with that side section showing. I think there may be more to this than I first realized!

[masonboro37]

That is exciting! Great find!

[vertman]

Clair, I believe it is a carapace, but not of a Noto (did not know these had been renamed). I want to issue a guess of Necrocarcinus but that is a very tentative guess on my part.

[Suvi]

Nice! Keep digging and see if the claws are still there I find a lot of these and it is always cool to see if the claws and legs are intact and sometimes they are in quite cool positions!

Nice find!

-Suvi

[JohnJ]

Nice! Keep digging and see if the claws are still there I find a lot of these and it is always cool to see if the claws and legs are intact and sometimes they are in quite cool positions!

Nice find!

-Suvi

Crabby.jpg

Very cool!

[fossilized6s]

Nice! Keep digging and see if the claws are still there I find a lot of these and it is always cool to see if the claws and legs are intact and sometimes they are in quite cool positions!

Nice find!

-Suvi

Crabby.jpg

Ha, looks like the poor thing got caught while eating lunch.

Congrats on the find Claire01. Have you prepped anything before?

[claire01]

Ha, looks like the poor thing got caught while eating lunch.

Congrats on the find Claire01. Have you prepped anything before?

Thanks you guys, and fossilized6s-I've done a tiny bit of prep work on a few fossils, but I find these crabs very intimidating!