5 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Traces of fossilized crabs in the Zagros Mountains, Iran which may hint at a hotbed of biodiversity dating from 15 million years

A group of paleontologists from the  University of Tehran has discovered traces of fossilized crabs in the Iranian which may hint at a hotbed of biodiversity dating 15 million years ago in the region that is today the Zagros Mountains.

The paleontologists have discovered fossils of a species of crab in different parts of the country that suggests the Zagros Mountains were once sea waterways through which the Indian and Atlantic Oceans intersect some 10 to 15 million years ago, and Iran has been one of the hotspots of biodiversity on Earth, ISNA reported on Sunday.

“A new species of Galene de Haan from the Mid Miocene (Langhian) strata of the Mishan Formation has been exposed at two localities in Hormozgan province, Zagros Mountains, Iran,” according to a new study conducted by Erfan Khosravi, Alireza Sari, Majid Mirziee-Ataabadi, Hossein Gholamalian, Mat Hyn, Reza Naderloo.

The Galene species, (“named as Galene dashtbani”), is considered the oldest representative of the genus and simultaneously the westernmost occurrence of all fossil and extant congeners known to date.

A new species of Galene de Haan from the Mid Miocene (Langhian) strata of the Mishan Formation has been exposed at two localities in Hormozgan province, Zagros Mountains, Iran.
A new species of Galene de Haan from the Mid Miocene (Langhian) strata of the Mishan Formation has been exposed at two localities in Hormozgan province, Zagros Mountains, Iran.

As mentioned by the researchers, the genus is currently limited to the Indo-West Pacific region. The present fossil occurrence of the genus suggests a Tethyan origin and subsequent migration eastward.

“The finding raises new debates about the importance and role of biodiversity hotspots and the importance of their conservation. In addition, it doubles the importance of paleontological research and shows the extent to which the study of fossils can enhance our understanding of the current living world and the environment,” the report says.

Speaking to ISNA, Khosravi considers crab fossils to be much, much rarer than fossils such as oysters and snails, which are very difficult to find.

One of 12 discovered specimens of Galena Dashtbani crab
One of 12 discovered specimens of Galena Dashtbani crab. Photo: ISNA

“Because they are found in much more specific environments than oysters, and because they do not have hard outer parts like shells and snails, their complete preservation in fossils is rare. In addition, it is much more difficult to identify and examine them; Because many crab fossils are just pieces of the crab’s armor backplate.”

In response to the question that if the crabs found in the study are more or less similar to modern crabs found in rivers, he explained: “During the (recent) years, we found several new species of crabs from different parts of Iran, all of which species lived in the sea. Fossils of river crabs are very rare, even when they are no longer available in some parts of the world.”

Map of the Tethys Sea 15 million years ago, below is the habitat of “Galena Dashtbani”: Current state of the planet, the current distribution of Galena crabs. The migration route is marked with a dashed line.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the paleontologist noted they discovered fossils of sea crabs from different regions of the country including Shahroud, Garmsar, Isfahan, Kurdestan, Bandar Abbas, and Kazerun.

“A few years ago, as I was trying to identify some new fossils, I noticed that one of these fossils did not look like any I had seen before. Many fossils are more or less the same species still found in the Persian Gulf today, but this new species of crab was one of the species that, although recorded once or twice in the Persian Gulf, is mostly found in Southeast Asia around countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Australia.”

In addition to its living representatives, fossils of this crab have been reported only from the same region of Southeast Asia, and those fossils are at most one to two million years old, he said.

Cleaning up crab fossils
Cleaning up crab fossils. Photo: ISNA

“Significantly, this [fossilized] crab is at least 10 million years older than all other similar specimens found in Southeast Asia.”

These crabs and a few other specimens that have been discovered in previous studies on Iran’s Zagros, as well as similar sediments from the Tethys in Austria, all of which have newer and more modern similarities in Southeast Asia, lead us to the hypothesis that from the current habitat, the hotspot of biodiversity in Southeast Asia has been here in the Tethys Sea deposits.

“We have discovered more than a thousand specimens of crab fossils from all over Iran, and gradually the information extracted from these fossils will be published in the form of articles.”

Because studies show that there are several dozen new species among these fossils and some rare species that have been described by paleontologists from other regions but are discovered for the first time in Iran.

ISNA

Related Articles

Grave Goods Show Gendered Roles for Neolithic Age

16 April 2021

16 April 2021

Grave goods, such as stone tools, have revealed that Neolithic farmers had different work-related activities for men and women. Researchers...

Metal Scraps were Used İnstead of Money in Bronze Age Europe

8 May 2021

8 May 2021

Bronze scrap uncovered in hoards in Europe was used as currency, according to researchers from the Universities of Göttingen and...

The Old Fisherman Founded the Turkish Sea Creatures Museum

26 March 2021

26 March 2021

The sea gives another life to man, sometimes love, sometimes a disappointment, often a longing. The sea is reminiscent of...

A rare Byzantine gold coin discovered in Norway, probably brought from Constantinople

9 December 2023

9 December 2023

A metal detectorist exploring the mountains in the municipality of Vestre Slidre in southern Norway discovered a rare histamenon nomisma...

‘Roman numerals’ discovered on Stone of Destiny ahead of King Charles III coronation

8 April 2023

8 April 2023

New research has revealed previously unrecorded markings that appear to be Roman numerals on the Stone of Destiny, considered one...

The camel carvings in Saudi Arabia are 8000 years old!

15 September 2021

15 September 2021

Life-size animal reliefs found in Saudi Arabia were carved almost 8,000 years ago, during the Neolithic period, when the desert...

‘Exceptional’ Viking Age silver treasure found in Norway

27 October 2022

27 October 2022

A treasure trove of silver fragments from the Viking Age has been discovered in Stjørdal, near Trondheim in central Norway....

“Operation Heritage” uncovers an artifact smuggling ring in Turkey

1 June 2022

1 June 2022

Turkish security forces searched locations in 38 regions on Tuesday in one of the largest operations against artifact smugglers, with...

A previously unknown subterranean tract of an Augustan-era aqueduct has been rediscovered in Naples

4 February 2023

4 February 2023

A previously unknown subterranean tract nearly half a mile long of an Augustan-era aqueduct has been rediscovered in Naples, southern...

An Etruscan Home Discovered in Corsica “First-Of-Its-Kind Find for the Island”

11 July 2024

11 July 2024

Archaeologists have discovered the first Etruscan domestic structure, dating to the 6th to 4th centuries BC, off the east coast...

Monumental Roman complex discovered in France

19 March 2023

19 March 2023

In the city of Reims in northeastern France, archaeologists have discovered an ancient Roman-era monumental complex dating from the 2nd...

Scientists Use Artificial İntelligence to Study Ancient Australian Rock Art

1 April 2021

1 April 2021

Rock art is the oldest surviving human art form. Throughout Australia, petroglyphs are part of the life and customs of...

An Elamite clay tablet has been discovered in Burnt City

6 January 2022

6 January 2022

An Elamite clay tablet was discovered within the Burnt City by a team of Iranian, Italian, and Serbian archeologists. Called...

“Mosaic of the Wine Harvest” mosaic to be exhibited in November in Turkey’s Hatay

26 October 2021

26 October 2021

The mosaic depicting the grape harvest, which is considered to date from the Late Roman period, equivalent to the 5th...

Scientists Ancient Landscape Not Seen For 14 Million Years Discovered Beneath Antarctic Ice

26 October 2023

26 October 2023

Researchers have uncovered an ancient landscape that remained hidden beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) for at least 14...