Despite the fact that crustaceans play an important role in all marine ecosystems, the fossil record of decapod crabs is modest. Fossil remains of decapods did not receive much attention within the paleontological sciences due to their lower biostratigraphic significance.
The purpose of this doctoral thesis is to examine all fossil remains of decapods from Slovenia collected so far, to collect new specimens from rocks of different ages with additional field work and to process the material taxonomically.
With the present doctoral thesis, our knowledge of fossil crustaceans in Slovenia has significantly expanded. So far, 96 specimens belonging to 17 different species of decapods have been included in public paleontological collections in Slovenia, 1,507 specimens were newly collected, and an additional 64 new taxa of fossil decapods were identified. Additionally, 15 new species, 3 new genera, and 1 new family of fossil crabs were newly erected in scientific papers. The palaeobiodiversity of decapods in Slovenia has thus been proven not to be lower than in neighbouring countries. The fact is that fossil remains of decapod crabs are often overlooked and have not received sufficient attention in the past.
In addition to taxonomic findings, interpretations of the evolution and environment of individual groups of decapods presented in scientific articles also add value to the knowledge of decapod crustaceans. Thus, the PhD thesis makes an important contribution to understanding the development and way of life of fossil crabs from the Miocene Sea Paratethys, Eocene hermit crabs from the forland sea of the Alpine-Dinaric orogen, and polychelidan lobsters from the Triassic lagoons of the Tethys Sea. The starting points for further research on the fauna of the decapods that inhabited the Upper Jurassic coral reefs and the evolutionarily important fauna of the Middle Triassic decapods that inhabited empty ecological niches in the Neotethys Ocean after the Great Permian extinction are also presented.
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