Honors Theses
Date of Award
Spring 5-9-2020
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Geology and Geological Engineering
First Advisor
Louis Zachos
Second Advisor
Jennifer Gifford
Third Advisor
Gregory Easson
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
Neozanthopsis Americana is a crab from the middle Eocene Claiborne Group that lived along the Gulf of Mexico, and has been documented in Texas and Louisiana. This species was discovered by Rathburn (1928) and was later amended and added to by Schweitzer (2014). The specimens in this paper are found near Natchitoches, Louisiana, and along with their accompanying fossils are used to describe the depositional environment of the locality. Sediments were taken from the site and analyzed under a standard microscope for microfossils, which were collected and further analyzed under scanning electron microscope. In addition to the microfossils, the cuticles from six crab specimens were also examined under the scanning electron microscope. Many foraminifera were collected, and along with morphological features of the crab and associated macrofauna, a depositional environment was described. The site was probably on the edge of the inner shelf in a biostrome environment. This location would have been mechanically active and connected to the ocean, and likely was a molting/breeding ground for the crabs.
Recommended Citation
Mclain, Katie, "Crabs from the Cane River Formation of Northern Louisiana: A study of Neozanthopsis americana and associated fauna" (2020). Honors Theses. 1457.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/1457
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