Platykotta

Platykotta akaina is a species of decapod crustacean from the Triassic of the United Arab Emirates. It is the oldest known fossil from the infraorder Anomura, and is most closely related to Eocarcinus praecursor.

The holotype of P. akaina was found in the United Arab Emirates on the Musandam Peninsula – the peninsula which separates the Persian Gulf from the Gulf of Oman. From the Permian to the Cretaceous, the area was near the shore of the Tethys Sea, which produced carbonate sedimentary rocks. The strata that contained Platykotta were part of the Ghalilah Formation, of Norian–Rhaetian age. These rocks contain extensive networks of burrows, and various other fossils, including bivalves of the families Megalodontidae and Wallowaconchidae, brachiopods, crinoids, sponges and corals. The holotype was found at approximately 25°44′N 56°5′E / 25.733°N 56.083°E / 25.733; 56.083 and has been deposited in the Natural History Museum of Geneva, Switzerland.