A new genus and species of Asteriidae (Asteroidea; Echinodermata) from the Upper Cretaceous (Coniacian) of Angola, Africa

Afraster scalariformis n.gen. et sp., from the Upper Cretaceous (Coniacian) of Angola, southwest Africa, is assigned to the Pedicellasterinae, a subfamily of the Asteriidae. An associated foraminiferal fauna is dominated by planktic species; also present are lagenids that are indicative of a shelf setting. The subfamily Pedicellasterinae is peculiar in that only two rows of podia are present, rather than the four typical of the family. Intimate association of Afraster with oysters suggests the predatory habits typical of modern asteriids; general arm and disk arrangement also suggest such a behavior. Afraster is the first recorded fossil asteroid from Angola.