Bathysquilla wetherelli (Woodward, 1879)

Bathysquilla wetherelli is a rare species of Stomatopod found very rarely along some London Clay sites. Squilla wetherelli is a synonym for Bathysquilla wetherelli.

It has one central ridge ending in a spine opposed to Heterosquilla which has a bulbous shape and double ridges down the centre line.

Image from Jeff Saward

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Subphylum: Crustacea

Superclass: Multicrustacea

Class: Malacostraca

Subclass: Hoplocarida

Order: Stomatopoda

Suborder: Unipeltata

Superfamily: Bathysquilloidea

Family: Bathysquillidae

Genus: Bathysquilla (Closest living relatives)

Species: Bathysquilla wetherelli

Image from Jeff Saward

Bathysquilla (Manning, 1963)

Image from:

https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/439996871

The genus Bathysquilla is still alive today and is a genus of mantis shrimp. On the left is an example of an alive member of Bathysquilla.

Mantis shrimp typically spend most of their lives sheltering in burrows and holes.

Mantis shrimp are rare to find in the London Clay and often only partial fossils.

Acknowledgments:

Many thanks to Jeff Saward for allowing usage of the photos on this page along with helping with detailing this species.