Metrics details freshwater crabs (Decapoda: Brachyura) are among the most diverse decapod crustaceans their fossil record is extremely limited: only Potamidae Potamonautidae and Trichodactylidae are reported up to the Eocene of the Neotropics so far This work documents unusually large decapod claws from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) continental deposits of Velaux and vicinity (southern France) in close association with large vertebrate remains In addition to (1) the systematic assignment of these claws the study addresses (2) the salinity trends in the deposit environment from its faunal assemblage and the elementary chemical patterns of fossils and (3) the likely scenario for their auto/allochthony in the Velaux fluvial system a group of “true” crabs nowadays linked to marine systems the claw taphonomy and the carbonates Y/Ho signatures support their ancient freshwater/terrestrial ecology making them the oldest reported continental brachyurans and extending the presence of crabs in freshwater environments by 40 Ma Either as primary or as secondary freshwater crabs the occurrence of these portunoids in Velaux is an evidence for the independent colonizations of continental environments by multiple brachyuran clades over time The study aims at (1) proposing a systematic assignment for these claws (2) characterizing the actual salinity trend of their depositional environment based on the channel fauna assemblage and elementary chemical patterns of fossils and (3) identifying the relevant taphonomic scenario for the presence of crab claws within a fluvial system As all these approaches support a freshwater or terrestrial signature for the paleoenvironment of these large-clawed brachyurans; we then discuss the implications for presumed multiple invasions of freshwater habitats by crustacean decapods over time 1) consists of seven (partial) claws and associated vertebrate remains collected from sequence 2 of the sedimentary succession of Velaux-La Bastide Neuve locality and one from the close locality of Rognac-Les Frégates (about four km from Velaux Specimens are housed in the palaeontological collections of Velaux municipal institutions (Musée du Moulin Seigneurial/Velaux-La Bastide Neuve: MMS/VBN.00.004 12.A.003) and of the Muséum d'Histoire naturelle d'Aix-en-Provence the Dinocarcinus material is not preserved sufficiently enough to allow detailed comparison of the cheliped dentition of various portunoid or xanthoid crabs its taxonomic features (as mentioned above) point out affinities with portunoids although this attribution has to be considered as preliminary Dinocarcinus velauciensis is kept in open nomenclature Portunoidea sensu lato (see above) Dinocarcinus n. gen. Van Bakel, Hyžný, Valentin & Robin Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Dinocarcinus velauciensis Van Bakel, Hyžný, Valentin & Robin n. gen., n. sp. (a,b) Illustrative features of holotype MMS/VBN.00.004 (complete chela). (d) = dactylus; ff = fixed finger; pr = propodus; pr/d ar = propodus/dactylus articulation; t1-4 = dactylus teeth; T1-4 = fixed finger teeth;? = questionable limits. Scale bars = 1 cm. Drawing. B. van Bakel, photograph. L. Cazes. Isolated claws found scattered in sediment outer and occlusal views of dactyli showing teeth arrangement marginal and occlusal two views showing teeth arrangement Etymology: Denoting the actual association with dinosaur (ornithopodan) remains Fixed finger dorsal surface with single “pitted groove” the claw morphology of Dinocarcinus velauciensis n does not match that of the Dakoticancroidea are highly comparable with those of Dinocarcinus n however they show a bulbous proximal crushing tooth on the dactylus of the major claw The claw morphology of Dinocarcinus n. gen. shows few diagnostic characters for superfamily level assignment (Portunoidea), namely heavily calcified claws, a grooved fixed finger, molariform teeth, palm, and fingers subequal in length, and blunt, non-hooked fingertips (Fig. 2) More accurate assignation is not possible at this point An early diverging position within Portunoidea is possible considering morphology and similar families occurring at that time Dinocarcinus velauciensis Van Bakel, Hyžný, Valentin & Robin n. sp. Figures 1, 2 and 3 Type material: Holotype: MMS/VBN.00.004; Paratypes 1–4: MMS/VBN.02.94, 09.132d, 12.A.003, 12.A.006 (see Table 1) Description: Only claws known; claw very large (approximately 85 mm for holotype MMS.VBN.00.004) Upper (cutting) margin of fixed finger straight Surface of molariform proximal tooth bulbous on fixed finger Fixed finger dorsal surface with a single “pitted groove” Dactylus upper and lower margin curved in dorsal view; dactylus cross-section flatter than propodus cross-section Dactylus more strongly curved in dorsal view than fixed finger Dactylus margin at approximately 100 degrees at upper (cutting) margin of fixed finger cuticle surface (as preserved) covered with microscopic dense has been extracted from a comparable block as well as a partial titanosaurid dorsal vertebra showing preserved ossified tendons Distribution of the taxa remains (n = 308) recovered from the sequence 2 and associated described depositional environments (see III Taxonomic/ecological diversity in the sequence 2 of the channel) based on Velaux-La Bastide Neuve excavation campaigns with Ho removed from seawater twice as fast as Y owing to differences in surface complexation behaviour Y and Ho absolute concentrations (which we could expect to interpret from the studied material) depend on biological and taphonomic factors of integration that simply cannot be estimated here the salinity of the studied channel cannot be assessed from the chemistry the observed Y/Ho ratio formally excludes a marine/costal pattern and seems to distinguish strongly from it Distribution of the fossil assemblage in the deposit of Velaux-La Bastide Neuve (a) Lower portion of the Velaux log (Seq 0–4) (b) Schematic spatial extension of the Velaux channel showing the distribution of bonebeds 2 (B2) and 3 (B3) in section (c) Top view of the distribution of claws/bones on the excavation site (d) Bloc assemblage of claws (small arrow) among vertebrate remains the authors question the allochthonous marine origin of the claws The consistent autochthony of all other invertebrates in the channel (Unio and the Y/Ho carbonates displayed by claws limit our interpretation to the most parsimonious assertion: it is rather unlikely that claws were moved into the Velaux fluvial system Decapod crustaceans inhabit virtually all water-influenced habitats from streams and rivers to ponds and lakes representatives of a number of originally exclusively marine decapod clades have successfully invaded freshwater and/or terrestrial habitats the following listing of freshwater decapods is not meant to be exhaustive but rather illustrative of the independent colonization of freshwater habitats within this group of crustaceans All primary freshwater crabs are entirely free from the need to enter seawater As for the fossils from Velaux and surroundings newly described herein it cannot be decided unequivocally whether representatives of Dinocarcinus n were able to complete their life cycle in the freshwater habitat or/and had direct development The sheer size and number of claw fragments may prove that crabs from the Late Cretaceous of Velaux were not only an occasional element of the respective environment but rather a natural part of the assemblage suggesting that they were fully adapted to freshwater environment so it is more likely they were primary freshwater crabs whereas the age of the African Potamonautidae clade was given with 75–73 Ma (Campanian) From the fossil record of the modern freshwater families alone such timing cannot be apprehended; however the discovery of fossil crabs from Velaux-La Bastide Neuve illustrates that brachyuran crabs attempted to colonize freshwater habitats in the Old World at least from the Campanian onwards Based on the material from Velaux and Rognac described herein we suggest that the freshwater habitats of islands in the Tethyan epicontinental sea were colonized by marine portunoids during the Late Cretaceous most secondary freshwater brachyurans have a marine larval development and would reach inland habitats more likely as adults This might also have been the case for Dinocarcinus velauciensis from the late Campanian of Southern France a group of “true crab” that are nowadays intimately linked to marine systems faunal assemblage and taphonomy of these fossils as well as the Y/Ho ratio of their carbonates indicate an ancient freshwater or terrestrial ecology This makes them the oldest freshwater/terrestrial brachyurans ever reported extending the existence of freshwater crabs by 40 Ma “true” crabs were associated to terrestrial vertebrates Although they were likely well adapted to this environment it cannot be decided whether Dinocarcinus was able to complete its life cycle in the freshwater habitat or/and had direct development Its occurrence in the Late Cretaceous of Velaux-La Bastide Neuve is an evidence for the independent colonizations of freshwater environments by multiple Brachyura clades over time beside that of modern primary freshwater crabs (Potamoidea It also supports the molecular clock estimation of an Early Cretaceous start for the radiation of Afrotropical freshwater crab taxa (just appearing in the Late Cretaceous) with the evidence of brachyuran crabs colonizing freshwater habitats as early as the Campanian The elementary composition of a brachyuran claw and of its surrounding matrix were investigated for their Y/Ho ratios One gram of each was sampled on MMS.VBN.09.69e (claw/sediment) the basis of the propodus embedded in the matrix was mechanically sampled to preserve the connection between the claw and the turtle plate Samples were microground and analysed for their composition in minor elements (in µg/g) normalized to PAAS using ICMPS at the Service d'Analyses des Roches et des Minéraux of the CRPG All data needed to evaluate the conclusions in the paper are present in the paper and supplementary information In Freshwater animal diversity assessment 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We wish to thank Sean Murphy for English review of this work and an anonymous reviewer for comments on manuscript improvements and discussion on claws systematic assignement Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie – Paris (CR2P Département Origines & Évolution (CP38) Paléoécosystèmes et Paléoprimatologie (PALEVOPRIM Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences provided the geological and taphonomic context of claws location collected the fossils and provided data on faunal assemblage for Velaux deposit supported material imaging and provided taxonomic review and comments The authors declare no competing interests Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Reprints and permissions Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-56180-w Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the 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skimmed the summit of those steel trees poured out its cargo of hectoliters and returned to draw a new cargo from a basin Sweaty young firefighters take off their helmets and fireproof hoods and walk away in order to be as close as possible to the conditions they will encounter throughout their career An officer explained that the Velaux firefighters' school perhaps in the world." 23 structures in the form of trees are equipped with gas burners simulating real fire conditions They train firefighters to work in an environment degraded by extreme heat has just finished her first training session there "fascinated by the workings of thermal phenomena and the feeling of being in direct contact with fire." The young woman was 12 years old when joined the young firefighters' school in the town of Salon-de-Provence She hasn't inherited a family tradition unlike many of her classmates many of whom follow in their kin's footsteps – fathers You have 65.35% of this article left to read Lecture du Monde en cours sur un autre appareil Vous pouvez lire Le Monde sur un seul appareil à la fois Ce message s’affichera sur l’autre appareil Parce qu’une autre personne (ou vous) est en train de lire Le Monde avec ce compte sur un autre appareil Vous ne pouvez lire Le Monde que sur un seul appareil à la fois (ordinateur En cliquant sur « Continuer à lire ici » et en vous assurant que vous êtes la seule personne à consulter Le Monde avec ce compte Que se passera-t-il si vous continuez à lire ici Ce dernier restera connecté avec ce compte Vous pouvez vous connecter avec votre compte sur autant d’appareils que vous le souhaitez mais en les utilisant à des moments différents Nous vous conseillons de modifier votre mot de passe Votre abonnement n’autorise pas la lecture de cet article merci de contacter notre service commercial You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed Artist’s impression of Matheronodon provincialis Matheronodon provincialis was a primitive cousin of the well-known European dinosaur Iguanodon The ancient beast lived 70 million years ago (Late Cretaceous epoch) and was approximately 16 feet (5 m) long The fossilized jawbone and three teeth of the new species were discovered at the site of Velaux-La Bastide Neuve “Matheronodon provincialis had extremely enlarged teeth up to 2.4 inches (6 cm) long and 2 inches (5 cm) wide They operated like self-sharpening serrated scissors,” said Dr a paleontologist at Free University of Brussels “Its teeth have ridged surfaces but are only covered with a thick enamel layer on one side.” “Because the enamel is more resistant to wear than the exposed dentine The fossilized jawbone of Matheronodon provincialis “The denture of rhabdodontid dinosaurs (Rhabdodontidae) had evolved in a different direction than that of their contemporaries the hadrosaurs or duck-billed dinosaurs,” said Dr a paleontologist at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences “Hadrosaurs had sophisticated dental ‘batteries’ formed by little teeth with which they could crush conifers.” “Matheronodon provincialis and other Rhabdodontidae probably ate leaves of palm trees which were abundant in Europe at that time.” “They had to cut rather than crush the fiber-rich leaves Research describing the new species is published online in the journal Scientific Reports article number: 13098; doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-13160-2 Homes and Property | Home Page The mother of murdered French student Laurent Bonomo today paid tribute to her son describing him as "joie de vivre personified" Lydie Bonomo said the 23-year-old "only saw the good side of life" and had not realised the potential dangers of living in London he never got involved in drugs or violence Mr Bonomo and his student friend Gabriel Ferez had been in London barely three months when they were stabbed to death in Mr Bonomo's New Cross flat The savagery of the "Tarantino murders" led to heavy criticism of London's knife culture in the French media also called on the British authorities to create an establishment to provide support and advice for foreign students on arrival in England She said: "Laurent only saw the good side of life "He'd have lived somewhere where there were lots of other students We didn't know it was a city where there are murders every day." in her victim impact statement read to the Old Bailey Mrs Bonomo described the devastating effect the murder had on her close-knit family She wrote from the family home of Velaux-en-Provence in the south of France where She describes every second of her anguish in the hours following the killing Every time she tries to call him she reaches his answerphone she postponed as long as possible the moment she had to tell us so that we wouldn't panic in vain." Marie thought Laurent might have had the idea of making a spur-of-the-moment trip over "He was quite capable of jumping on the Eurostar to give Marie a big surprise they were in permanent contact via texts and conversations at all hours "Then this silence became more and more incomprehensible and heavy." hoping each time I'd hear his voice full of irony saying you imagined me cut to pieces at the bottom of a ditch?' The next day she got a call from the consulate We found two people.' "Me: They're dead?' Yes but we still don't know who they are.' "Me in the middle of this suffocating unreality My terrible fear that he might have disappeared into a unfathomable limbo was no longer there." At first she believed he died in the fire but learned the truth of what happened after reading news-papers on the internet the next day Mrs Bonomo says that despite the tragedy she still has faith that thanks to British justice "clear light will be shone on the deaths of our children" She says: "I'm not capable of hating those who have committed these terrible crimes which made me feel the same thing every time I woke Mr Ferez's mother described his killers as "monsters" nurse Françoise Villemont said: "No one can carry out a massacre for two games consoles Mr Bonomo had taken part in a civil union ceremony with fellow student Marie Bertez who has now formed a bond with Mr Ferez's girlfriend Magali Bonnans Ms Bertez described her beloved "Lolo" as "my world" Prince Louis steals the show at VE Day parade as he keeps dad William looking sharp and mimics brother George Prince Louis steals show with sweet antics at VE parade VE Day 2025 fashion: best looks from the day VE Day 2025 fashion: Princess of Wales to Lady Victoria Starmer Royals watch historic flypast as huge crowds turns out for VE Day 80th anniversary  Royals watch historic Red Arrows flypast for VE Day 80th anniversary David Beckham’s 50th birthday bash in London 'shut down' by council over noise complaints David Beckham’s 50th birthday bash 'shut down' over noise complaints Stacey Solomon 'regrets doing reality show with Joe Swash' for tough reason Stacey Solomon 'regrets reality show with Joe Swash' for tough reason