Xylopaguridae are a family of hermit crabs of the order Decapoda.[2][3] It was erected in 2016 to accommodate one new genus, Prexylopagurus, and three existing genera that had previously been placed in Paguridae. They occur in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans.[1]
| Xylopaguridae Temporal range: Upper Albian–recent,
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| Xylopagurus rectus | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Anomura |
| Superfamily: | Paguroidea |
| Family: | Xylopaguridae Gašparič, Fraaije, Robin & de Angeli, 2016[1] |
| Type genus | |
| Xylopagurus A. Milne-Edwards, 1880
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Some sources do not recognize Xylopaguridae and list the species and genera that were transferred to it under their original family, Paguridae.[4]
Evolution edit
The oldest record of the family is Paguritergites yvonnecooleae,[1] the only known species of its genus,[5] from the upper Albian (mid-Cretaceous) of northwest Spain.[1] The family appears to have evolved in the Tethys Ocean.[1]
Description and ecology edit
Xylopagurids have an elongated, subcylindrical carapace. They are adapted to live in cavities such as hollow pieces of bamboo and driftwood, or in empty polychaete tubes.[1] Unlike typical hermit crabs, they inhabit open-ended cavities which they enter head-first. The posterior opening of the cavity is blocked by a strongly calcified portion of the abdomen, whereas a massive, strongly armed right cheliped protects the anterior opening.[6]
Xylopagurids occur from shallow waters to depths of several hundreds of meters, the record being Prexylopagurus caledonicus dredged from a depth of 591 metres.[1]
Genera edit
There are four genera, two of which are extant:[2]
- †Lessinipagurus Beschin, De Angeli, Checchi & Zarantonello, 2012
- †Paguritergites Fraaije, Artal, Van Bakel, Jagt & Klompmaker, 2013
- Prexylopagurus Gašparič, Fraaije, Robin & de Angeli, 2016
- Xylopagurus A. Milne-Edwards, 1880
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h Gašparič, R.; Fraaije, R.H.B.; Robin, N. & De Angeli, A. (2016). "The first record of paguroids from the Eocene of Istria (Croatia) and further phylogenetic refinement of the Paguroidea (Crustacea, Anomura)" (PDF). Bulletin of Geosciences. 91 (3): 467–480.
- ^ a b DecaNet (2024). "Xylopaguridae Gašparič, Fraaije, Robin & de Angeli, 2016". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ "†family Xylopaguridae Gasparic et al. 2016". Paleobiology Database. Fossilworks. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ E.g., "Paguridae". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ DecaNet (2024). "Paguritergites Fraaije, Artal, Van Bakel, Jagt & Klompmaker, 2013 †". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ Lemaitre, Rafael (1995). "A review of hermit crabs of the genus Xylopagurus A. Milne Edwards, 1880 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Paguridae), with description of two new species". Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. 570: 1–27. doi:10.5479/si.00810282.570.i.
