Decapod crustaceans from the Neogene of the Caribbean: diversity, distribution and prospectus

The Neogene decapod crustaceans are reviewed from Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, Anguilla, Barbados, Carriacou, Costa Rica, Cuba, Florida, Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic), Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts, Tintamare Island, Trinidad and Venezuela. The most widely distributed taxa, both stratigraphically and geographically, are callianassids and Calappa (both with easily identifiable dactyli), and portunids. The latter include eleven genera in the study area; of these, Callinectes, Euphylax and Portunus are known from the Miocene, Pliocene and Pleistocene of the Caribbean. The two occurrences of scleractinian-inhabiting crab faunas, the Lower Miocene Montpelier Formation of Jamaica and the Pleistocene Coral Rock of Barbados, show limited affinities with most other formations. The Upper Pliocene Bowden shell bed and Upper Pleistocene Port Morant Formation, both of Jamaica, include 26 and 27 genera, respectively, and generally show good generic similarities with other Neogene formations throughout the Caribbean. New species include the pagurid Dardanus squamatus Collins sp. nov., the calappid Tutus granulosus Collins gen. et sp. nov., the hepatid Hepatus guraboensis Collins sp. nov., and the portunids Rathbunella pentaspinosa Collins gen. et sp. nov. and Psygmophthalmus bifurcatus Collins sp. nov.