Eocarcinus
| Eocarcinus Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| Holotype (top) and paratype (bottom) specimens | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Brachyura |
| Family: | †Eocarcinidae Withers, 1932 |
| Genus: | †Eocarcinus Withers, 1932 |
| Species: | †E. praecursor
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| Binomial name | |
| †Eocarcinus praecursor Withers, 1932
| |
Eocarcinus praecursor is a Jurassic species of decapod crustacean, sufficiently distinct from its relatives to be placed in its own family (Eocarcinidae). Often considered the oldest true crab, it was considered by a 2010 study to be an early member of the Anomura. However, a reanalysis in 2020 again found it to be the earliest known stem-group crab.