Journal Article

Marsupial brood care in Cretaceous tanaidaceans

Engel, Michael, S, Peñalver, Enrique, S, Sans affiliation, Géosciences Rennes (GR) ; Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des sciences de l'environnement de Rennes (OSERen) ; Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME), Natural History Museum ; University of Kansas [Lawrence] (KU), Delclòs, Xavier, S, Bird, Graham, J, Sánchez-García, Alba, S, Departament de Dinàmica de la Terra i de l’Oceà [Barcelona] ; Univer

2017

Overview

Parental care in animal evolution has long fascinated biologists, but tracing this complex of behavioural repertoires is challenging, as these transitory states often leave no corporeal traces as fossils. Among modern invertebrates, the tanaidaceans (Malacostraca: Peracarida), a lineage of marsupial crustaceans, show an interesting variety of brooding strategies. Here we report on fossil tanaidaceans from the Cretaceous of Spain and France that provide conclusive evidence for marsupial care of brood-offspring. Two exceptionally preserved female specimens of Alavatanais carabe and A. margulisae from Late Albian Peñacerrada I amber (Spain) possess four pairs of rudimentary oostegites, indicating formation of a marsupium. From Recent data, given the taxonomic distribution of a marsupium of four pairs of oostegites, we hypothesize that this may be plesiomorphic for the Tanaidomorpha. We also report on a peculiar tanaidacean specimen referable to the fossil family Alavatanaidae, Daenerytanais maieuticus gen. et sp. nov., from Early Cenomanian La Buzinie amber (France), preserved with its marsupial pouch and content. Our discoveries provide early evidence of the peracarid reproductive strategy, as seen in modern Tanaidacea, and argue that this form of parental care may have played a role in the diversification of the lineage during this period.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group,CCSD,Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Portfolio
• Subject: 14/63 / 631/181/414 / 631/601/18 / Amber / Animal biology / Animals / Behavior / Biological Evolution / Brood care / Cretaceous / Crustacea / Crustaceans / Earth Sciences / Endangered & extinct species / Female / Fossils / France / Humanities and Social Sciences / Invertebrate Zoology / Life Sciences / Marsupials / multidisciplinary / Museums / New species / Offspring / Oostegites / Paleontology / Reproductive strategy / Science / Science (multidisciplinary) / Sciences of the Universe / Spain / Tanaidacea / Tanaidacis / Taxonomy