Mecochirus

Mecochirus Temporal range: Late Jurassic–Cenomanian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N [1][2]
Fossil of Mecochirus longimanatus, from the Solnhofen limestones
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Malacostraca
Order:	Decapoda
Suborder:	Pleocyemata
Family:	†Mecochiridae
Genus:	†Mecochirus Germar, 1827
Type species
Mecochirus longimanatus Schlotheim, 1822

Mecochirus is an extinct genus of lobster-like decapod crustaceans, containing 17 species.[3] The Maxberg Specimen of Archaeopteryx was initially assigned to the type species, Mecochirus longimanatus before it was realised that it belonged to Archaeopteryx lithographica.[4]

Paleoecology

Mecochirus rapax may have lived inside or produced Thalassinoides burrows.[5]

References

1. Peter A. Jell; Jack T. Woods; Alex G. Cook (2017). "Mecochirus Germar (Decapoda: Glypheoidea) in the Lower Cretaceous of Queensland". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 41 (4): 514–523. doi:10.1080/03115518.2017.1318169. S2CID 133638267.
2. Sylvain Charbonnier; Rémy Gilardet; Alessandro Garassino; Giliane P. Odin (2023). "A new species of mecochirid lobster from the Late Cretaceous of France, preserved with its eggs". Geodiversitas. 45 (23): 681–688. doi:10.5252/geodiversitas2023v45a23.
3. Sammy De Grave; N. Dean Pentcheff; Shane T. Ahyong; et al. (2009). "A classification of living and fossil genera of decapod crustaceans" (PDF). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. Suppl. 21: 1–109. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-06.
4. Heller, F. (1960). "Der dritte Archaeopteryx-Fund aus den Solnhofener Plattenkalken des oberen Malm Frankens". Journal für Ornithologie. 101 (1–2): 7–28. doi:10.1007/bf01670630. S2CID 44286412.
5. Carvalho, C. N. D.; Viegas, P. A.; Cachao, M. (2007-01-01). "Thalassinoides and ITS Producer: Populations of Mecochirus Buried within Their Burrow Systems, Boca do Chapim Formation (Lower Cretaceous), Portugal". PALAIOS. 22 (1): 104–109. Bibcode:2007Palai..22..104C. doi:10.2110/palo.2006.p06-011r. ISSN 0883-1351. S2CID 130132392.