SPEOCARCINUS-BERGLUNDI N-SP (DECAPODA, BRACHYURA), A NEW CRAB FROM THE IMPERIAL FORMATION (LATE MIOCENE LATE PLIOCENE) OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Speocarcinus berglundi n. sp. is described from the Imperial Formation in Riverside County, California. Although the Imperial Formation span s late Miocene through late Pliocene time, the part of the unit that b ears crabs has been radiometrically dated as late Miocene. The identif ication of a new species was based upon comparison with four extant sp ecies and represents the first documented fossil occurrence for the ge nus. The occurrence of this new species suggests that the genus may ha ve originated in the Pacific and, during the Miocene, dispersed throug h the Isthmus of Panama to the Caribbean. Two of the specimens exhibit parasitism by Bopyridae (Isopoda).