Litoricola dentata
Litoricola dentata
Common name
Deep-sea Crab
Fossil group
Crustaceans
Order
Decapoda
Family
Geryonidae
Genus
Litoricola
Taxonomic status
Accepted
Geological age
Ypresian
Summary
Litoricola dentata was a broad true crab belonging to a lineage whose living relatives include deep-water geryonid crabs. It probably lived on the seabed as an active omnivore or predator, using its claws to handle small animals and scavenged food.
Its presence adds another ecological type to the already diverse London Clay crab fauna. Rather than all crabs occupying the same niche, the formation preserves compact bottom walkers, swimming forms, burrowers, sponge carriers and other specialised groups.
Quick Identification
Look for: a broad, fairly flat inverted-subtrapezoidal carapace with a bifid bilobed front, broad orbits with two open fissures and distinctly toothed side margins.
Diagnostic Features
- Carapace broader than long and approximately inverted-subtrapezoidal.
- Maximum carapace width lies in the anterior third.
- Front is bilobed, with each lobe bifid to produce a four-lobed appearance.
- Orbits are broad and show two distinct open fissures.
- Lateral margins are distinctly toothed and help separate Litoricola from smoother geryonid-like crabs.
Fossil Details
Typical size
Several centimetres across.
Fossil material
Carapace, Claw / Chela
Preservation
Frontal lobes, orbital margins and lateral teeth are easily broken. A central carapace lacking these margins may be difficult to identify securely, even if the dorsal regions are preserved.
Similar Species
Recorded Fossil Sites
London Clay Formation
Thames Group
Historical
Synonyms & Previous Names
Litoricola glabra; Coeloma dentatum; Coeloma glabra
References
- 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