PALEOCENE DECAPODS, SURVIVOR TAXA OF THE KAMBÜHEL FORMATION, LOWER AUSTRIA, AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO DECAPOD DIVERSITY ACROSS THE K-PG BOUNDARY

Paleocene fossil decapods were collected from the Kambühel Formation, Lower Austria. The collection consists of about eighty dorsal carapaces and some isolated appendages. Thus far, only one new species has been described from the formation: Titanocarcinus kambuehelensis. The Kambühel Formation was deposited during the Thanetian, about 59 to 56 mya (Late Paleocene), on a shallow-water carbonate platform. The fossils were preserved in a calcium-carbonate limestone. The formation has been described as both a fringe and a patch reef environment. The Ragglitz Member of this formation contains the red “patch-reef” limestone, likely of Selandian or Early Thanetian age (about 61 to 58 mya).

Both the formation and the decapod fauna are little-studied. Describing, measuring, and identifying the decapod taxa will contribute to the study of diversity and recovery in decapods across the K/Pg boundary. Preparing and analyzing thin-sections of the rock will also contribute to the study of the paleoenvironment. Comparisons will be made between this Paleocene decapod fauna and other decapod fauna from the Late Cretaceous. It is expected that the diversity or richness of the Paleocene decapod fauna from the Kambühel Formation is no different than the diversity or richness within decapod fauna from the Late Cretaceous. In addition, it is also expected that the carapace measurements of the Paleocene decapods will not show any measurable or considerable differences in size compared to those of Late Cretaceous age. Ideally, these comparisons will be made across similar environments. These results would justify the idea of refugia and recovery while supporting previous studies that show little changes in decapod diversity across the K/Pg boundary.