THE SIGNIFICANCE OF A NEW NEPHROPID LOBSTER FROM THE MIOCENE OF ANTARCTICA

The nephropid lobster, Hoploparia gazdzicki sp. nov., is described fro m Early Miocene glaciomarine sedimentary rocks of King George Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Such an occurrence considerably ex tends the stratigraphical range of a widespread lobster genus that rea ched its acme in the Late Cretaceous. The previous youngest records we re from the Eocene of western Europe, and it would appear that, by the Early Miocene, the genus may have become a relict in relatively cold and deep waters in Antarctica. Although the full. phylogenetic implica tions of this extension to the stratigraphical range are not yet appar ent, there are some important palaeoecological ones. This occurrence c an be taken as a further indication that certain benthic decapods were able to survive the onset of glacio-marine conditions in Antarctica. Perhaps other factors, such as the availability of food, habitat space , or decline in seasonal temperature fluctuation, ultimately controlle d the decline of this major benthic group in the Southern Ocean.