Clam shrimp Nothocarapacestheria from the Lower Jurassic of the Junggar Basin, northwestern China

Abstract

Nothocarapacestheria Rohn et al., 2014 was erected from the Upper Triassic–Lower Jurassic of Paraná Basin, Brazil. Here we describe a Nothocarapacestheria species, which is discovered from the Lower Jurassic Badaowan Formation in Xinjiang, northwestern China. The described species is characterized by: 1) almost the whole carapace ornamented with medium reticulations, 3–6 polygons per growth band, 20–60 μm in mesh diameter; 2) gradual raising of radially elongated reticulations in the distal region of the carapace, sometimes ending as radial lirae; 3) fine puncta in the mesh of reticulations. Through this study, we are able to infer that the distribution of Nothocarapacestheria was more widespread than previously thought, and that Euestheria sp. previously reported from the Lower Jurassic Badaowan Formation are probably poorly preserved or juvenile individuals of Nothocarapacestheria .