Hasaracancer Jux, 1971

Van Bakel, Barry W. M., Guinot, Danièle, Artal, Pedro, Fraaije, René H. B. & Jagt, John W. M., 2012, A revision of the Palaeocorystoidea and the phylogeny of raninoidian crabs (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura, Podotremata) 3215, Zootaxa 3215 (1), pp. 1-216 : 58

Genus Hasaracancer Jux, 1971

Hasaracancer Jux, 1971: 157 .

Type species. Hasaracancer cristatus Jux, 1971 , by monotypy.

Species included. Hasaracancer cristatus Jux, 1971 , H. renfroae ( Stenzel, 1945) and H. merijaensis Ossó- Morales, Artal & Vega, 2011.

Material examined. Holotype, GIK 538 [ GIK 536 in Jux 1971]; a transversely compressed and deformed carapace (female) with loose abdomen, upper Campanian , Afghanistan.

Remarks. Hasaracancer was considered synonymous with Cenomanocarcinus by Guinot et al. (2008: 20), based on an examination of the holotype and only specimen, of H. cristatus in GIK. This conclusion was not adopted by De Grave et al. (2009: 23) and Schweitzer et al. (2010: 44), who assigned Hasaracancer to the polychelidan family Coleiidae Van Straelen, 1925 . Schweitzer et al. (2010: 146) stated that, after examination of a cast (BSP 1988III 147) of the holotype, Hasaracancer ‘clearly is a member of the Coleidae [sic]’. We disagree and follow Guinot et al. (2008) in interpreting Hasaracancer as a palaeocorystoid ( Guinot et al. 2008: fig. 7). The only specimen of H. cristatus undoubtedly represents a brachyuran: the telson is absent but abdominal somite 6 is completely preserved and does not show uropods. Furthermore, the linea brachyura (pleural line) is seen on both sides of the carapace ( Guinot et al. 2008: fig. 7a); it is complete and extends from below the posterior carapace margin to halfway the suborbital margin. The branchiostegite is posteriorly reduced. The anterior process of the pterygostome is pronounced, the oxystomian condition and orbits are well developed. All features of the carapace, pterygostome and abdomen fit favourably in Cenomanocarcinidae . Newly discovered, well-preserved material from Morocco ( Ossó-Morales et al. 2011) shows carapace features that validate the separation of this genus from Cenomanocarcinus .

Necrocarcinus renfroae Stenzel, 1945 , from the upper Albian of Texas ( Stenzel 1945: 443, text-fig. 15; pl. 41, fig. 13) and Colombia ( Vega et al. 2010: 272, figs. 8.6–8.12) is herein transferred to Hasaracancer .