An overview of the stratigraphic and paleobiogeographic occurrences of the lobster family Glypheidae, including a reappraisal of Early Jurassic Paraglyphea eureka from Argentina
By: Susana E. Damborenea, Miguel O. Manceñido, Javier Echevarría, Francisco M. Harguindeguy
Summarized by: Kayla Said. Kayla is a senior at Binghamton University studying biology with a minor in health and wellness! After graduation she hopes to attend medical school and pursue her dreams of becoming a doctor in Dermatology. In her free time, Kayla loves to crochet, exercise at the gym, and bake!
What was the point of the paper? A group of lobsters, called the glypheid lobsters, was thought to be extinct for over 50 million years. In the 1970s, a living species of the taxonomic family was discovered in the deep Pacific Ocean. The point of the paper is to deduce the full story, or history, of the glypheid lobster family, and understand how these organisms went undetected for years, giving them their nickname of “living fossils.” With previous data from published literature and new fossil evidence from Argentinian rock, the authors were able to piece together a clearer story of how the glypheid lobster family escaped the forces of extinction.
Data: To understand the fascinating history of Paraglyphea eureka, a species within the glypheid lobster family, paleontologists first compiled research from different decades. Sorting through peer reviewed paleontologic literature helped paleontologists develop a story of the lobsters’ history, including where they lived, how they lived, and which environments they preferred. However, when sifting through the literature, the researchers noticed missing details in the known information about P. eureka. To patch up the missing details in the lobster’s whereabouts throughout time, new data was collected. Researchers took off to Mendoza, Argentina, where they found a sheet of rock from the Toarcian Age, in the Jurassic period, that formed nearly 180 million years ago. From this bed of rock, the researchers found exoskeletons of the P. eureka, and they were able to study their anatomy in much greater detail than ever before, as seen in Figure 1.
Methods: In their study of glypheid lobsters, researchers first reorganized the literature that was already published about them. By doing this, they unraveled inadequate evidence in the survivorship of the lobster family and were able to better understand what was and was not known about them. Researchers found that P. eureka was one of three living species to this day of the glypheid lobster family. In hopes of revealing more fossilized evidence of the lobsters, researchers then extracted a patch of 180-million-year-old rock from Mendoza, Argentina. By analyzing the bed of rock, the researchers found exoskeletons of P. eureka, and thoroughly reevaluated the species based on anatomy found in new fossils. This allowed the researchers to revise the lobsters’ scientific classifications and reassess their geographic distribution over time. This process that the researchers underwent is called a systematic reappraisal, meaning that they combined new fossil evidence with previously published literature to better understand the anatomy of P. eureka.
Results: After evaluating new fossil findings and piecing together older research, paleontologists classified P. eureka as a cosmopolitan species. This means that these glypheid lobsters are able to thrive in a variety of environmental conditions and can live across a wide geographic range. Scientists found that due to their large geographic range and distribution, the P. eureka was likely able to escape extinction by migrating to cold, deeper waters. Due to a habitat shift of moving from warm, shallow waters to deeper, colder waters, P. eureka were able to escape forces of extinction after a rough period of volcanic eruptions. This series of volcanism released greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and thus increased ocean acidification dramatically. This event is known as the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event, and it occurred over 100 million years ago, marking the sharp decline in glypheid lobster diversity.
Why is this study important? This study is important for several reasons. Firstly, it helps us understand the full story of P. eureka, or “living fossils.” This study helps us understand how glypheid lobsters were thought to be extinct for over 50 million years, but with new evidence, are now understood to be habitat shifting organisms that can dwell in many different conditions. This study also demonstrates how a wider geographic range of an organism helps increase its survivorship abilities, making it more likely to survive. By piecing together new fossil evidence with previously studied literature, this study focuses on anatomical features of Paraglyphea eureka, providing clear correlations between cosmopolitan groups and their survival abilities.
Broader Implications of this Study: This study impacts science on a broader level, as it helps us decipher how gaps in fossilization records can influence our knowledge of biological presences on our Earth. This study demonstrates why it is important for us to understand cosmopolitan species, due to what is happening in our environment today with increased ocean acidification. The acidity of our oceans is influenced by the amount of greenhouse gases we exude into the atmosphere. By understanding the migration potential for cosmopolitan organisms, especially with the changes occurring currently in our environment, we are able to understand more about modern day organisms. This also helps us predict changes to species populations in the future!
Citation: Damborenea, S. E., Manceñido, M. O., Echevarría, J., & Harguindeguy, F. M. (2025). An overview of the stratigraphic and paleobiogeographic occurrences of the lobster family Glypheidae, including a reappraisal of Early Jurassic Paraglyphea eureka from Argentina. Journal of Paleontology, 1–14. doi:10.1017/jpa.2024.41