A new genus and species of crab from the bryozoan bioherms of the Eocene Santee Limestone; South Carolina, USA

Abstract

The fossil crab Propinnotheroides orangeburgensis is described from the Eocene Santee Limestone in Orangeburg County, South Carolina. The specimens, two nearly complete carapaces preserved in lithified coquina, add significant detail to our knowledge of the Eocene decapod faunas inhabiting the off-shore bryozoan bioherms on the southeastern coast of North America. The coquinoid limestone facies of the Santee Limestone and Ocala and Castle Hayne Limestone represent shallow offshore bioherms and patch reefs deposited on the upper shelf of the ancient continental shelf. The bryozoan bioherms and patch reefs provided a nutrient-rich environment in which fostered the development of a distinctive Eocene reef fauna, including a diverse decapod fauna.