A new Triassic decapod, Platykotta akaina, from the Arabian shelf of the northern United Arab Emirates: earliest occurrence of the Anomura

A Triassic decapod crustacean is described here for the first time from the Norian-Rhaetian Ghalilah Formation of the Musandam Peninsula, United Arab Emirates. The single specimen Platykotta akaina n. gen n. sp. is referred to a new family Platykottidae. The studied crustacean, initially with only the ventral exposure preserved, was collected from shallow-water, burrowed limestones. Using a chemical preparation, the dorsal view revealed a well-preserved, chitinous, granular carapace exhibiting characteristic carapace morphology and groove pattern of the Eocarcinoidea, the superfamily to which the new family is assigned. The dorsal view together with the ventral surface, rarely seen in the fossil record, provide new insight into the morphology of representatives of the Eocarcinoidea.