Abstract
Astrocratis acutispina, n. gen. and sp., is described from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Pflugerville Formation of the upper Austin Group of Texas. USA. Although remarkably similar to Cenozoic Astropecten. A. acutispina differs from Astropecten in pairing of adambulacrals with inferomarginals and development of inferomarginal spines. Astrocratis provides further evidence for a Cretaceous origin of infaunal habits in post-Paleozoic asteroids. Ossicular alignment suggests a phylogenetic lineage separate from that of Astropecten.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1311-1320 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Eclogae Geologicae Helvetiae |
| Volume | 89 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| State | Published - 1996 |
Keywords
- Asteroid
- Astrocratis acutispina n. sp
- Campanian
- Description
- Morphology
- Palaeoecology
- Phylogeny
- Taphonomy
- Texas
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geology