Dromilites bucklandii
Dromilites bucklandii
Common name
Sponge Crab
Fossil group
Crustaceans
Order
Decapoda
Family
Dromiidae
Genus
Dromilites
Taxonomic status
Accepted
Geological age
Ypresian
Summary
Dromilites bucklandii was another London Clay sponge crab. Modern dromiids use specially positioned rear legs to grip a sponge or other covering over the carapace, effectively carrying their own camouflage as they walk across the seabed.
It was probably an opportunistic bottom feeder, taking small prey and scavenged food while relying on concealment and its tough carapace for protection. The presence of more than one Dromilites species shows that sponge-crab-like animals were a successful part of the London Clay community.
Quick Identification
Look for: a Dromilites carapace with comparatively weakly vaulted regions, three anterolateral teeth and little coarse tuberculation; contrast directly with the more strongly inflated and tuberculate Dromilites belli.
Diagnostic Features
- Carapace regions are weakly vaulted compared with Dromilites belli.
- Anterolateral margin bears three principal teeth.
- Coarse gastric and branchial tubercles are absent or much less developed.
- Mesogastric region is poorly defined relative to Dromilites belli.
- Posterolateral outline and tooth development are weaker than in the more ornamented D. belli.
Fossil Details
Typical size
Carapace commonly centimetre-scale; size alone does not distinguish it from Dromilites belli.
Fossil material
Carapace, Claw / Chela
Preservation
Breakage of the lateral margin can remove tooth counts, while compression can obscure differences in dorsal inflation. Historical labels should be checked against the revised morphology rather than accepted uncritically.
Similar Species
Recorded Fossil Sites
London Clay Formation
Thames Group
Provisional
2
Synonyms & Previous Names
Dromilites simplex
References
- Barry W. M. van Bakel; Ninon Robin; Sylvain Charbonnier; Jeff Saward. (2017). Revision of Dromilites bucklandii (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura): Type material revealing its real identity, a junior synonym, and a new species. Palaeontologia Electronica, 20(3), 1–12 View reference
- J. S. H. Collins; C. J. T. Mellish; A. J. Ross; P. R. Crabb; S. K. Donovan. (2020). A guide to the fossil Decapoda (Crustacea: Axiidea, Anomura, Brachyura) of the British Isles. Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, 131(1), 19–50 View reference
Last Reviewed
16 August 2026
Reviewed by
Sam Harris