A preliminary review of the fossil species of Ranina Lamarck, 1801 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Raninidae), with systematic remarks | Natural History Sciences

The systematics of the fossil representatives of Ranina Lamark, 1810, has been discussed by several authors in the last century, showing some problematics above all due to the lack of a close diagnosis of the type species (R. ranina) and to the scarce number of well-preserved type series of each fossil species. However, based upon a close comparison among the type series of each species, authors’ original descriptions, and the main diagnostic characters of Ranina, this preliminary review finds that twelve species have to be considered as doubtful species within Ranina, as follows: ?Ranina americana Withers, 1924, ?R. berglundi Squires & Demetrion, 1992, ?R. bouilleana A. Milne Edwards, 1872, ?R. brevispina L？renthey, 1898, ?R. granulosa A. Milne Edwards, 1872, ?R. griesbachi Noetling, 1897, ?R. haszlinskyi Reuss, 1859, ?R. libyca (Van Straelen, 1935), ?R. molengraaffi Van Straelen, 1924, ?R. oblonga (von Mu？nster, 1840), ?R. ornata De Angeli & Beschin, 2011, and ?R. speciosa (von Mu？nster, 1840). Four species have to be considered as Ranina nomina dubia, as follows: Ranina elegans Rathbun, 1945, R. hirsuta (Schafh？utl, 1863), R. lamiensis Rathbun, 1945, and R. tejoniana Rathbun, 1926. Ranina bavarica Ebert, 1887, R. fabri Schafh？utl, 1863, and R. helii Schafh？utl, 1863, have to be assigned to Lophoranina Fabiani, 1910. Ranina cuspidata Guppy, 1909, has to be assigned to Calappa Weber, 1795 (Calappidae De Haan, 1833). Finally, R. burleighensis Holland in Holland & Cvancara, 1958, has to be considered as doubtful species within Decapoda