Adiël A. Klompmaker, Natalia Starzyk, René H. B. Fraaije, and Günter Schweigert recently published Systematics and convergent evolution of multiple reef-associated Jurassic and Cretaceous crabs (Decapoda, Brachyura) in the scientific journal Palaeontologia Electronica. The authors detail a handful of new crab species in the paper, one of which is named Tanidromites nightwishorum after the symphonic metal group Nightwish.
"One new crab species (Tanidromites nightwishorum) was named after us in honor in particular for our 2015 album, Endless Forms Most Beautiful, about the evolution of life," said Nightwish.
"The new species of crab was found in eastern Austria and lived during the late part of the Jurassic period, around 150 million years ago. While dinosaurs dominated the land, parts of Europe were covered by a warm, shallow sea full of life. Tanidromites nightwishorum was discovered in a fossil coral reef. Crab diversity and abundance exploded for the very first time in their evolutionary history during the Late Jurassic in central Europe.
"Thanks to Dr Adiel A. Klompmaker and his colleagues for this truly fantastic honour (Adiel is curator of palaeontology, Alabama museum of natural history).
"The scientific paper was published online."
Read the full paper here.
