The Northernmost Occurrence of the Tropical-Subtropical Brittle Star <i>Ophiocoma</i> (Echinodermata, Ophiuroidea) from a Late Cretaceous Rocky Shore in Southern Sweden
In spite of considerable progress during the last few years, the fossil record of the ophiuroids, or brittle stars, is still poorly known, especially with respect to taxa restricted to specific environments. Here, we describe new ophiuroid fossils collected from an Upper Cretaceous rocky shore in Iv...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Taxonomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6500/3/3/20 |
| _version_ | 1797576525440090112 |
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| author | Ben Thuy Lea D. Numberger-Thuy |
| author_facet | Ben Thuy Lea D. Numberger-Thuy |
| author_sort | Ben Thuy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In spite of considerable progress during the last few years, the fossil record of the ophiuroids, or brittle stars, is still poorly known, especially with respect to taxa restricted to specific environments. Here, we describe new ophiuroid fossils collected from an Upper Cretaceous rocky shore in Ivö Klack, southern Sweden, consisting of fully disarticulated skeletal remains retrieved from the sediments deposited between boulders and hummocks. The fossils are identified as a new species of the extant ophiocomid genus <i>Ophiocoma</i>. In a critical revision of the ophiocomid fossil record, we show that all fossils previously assigned to the Ophiocomidae belong to other families. Thus, the fossil record of the Ophiocomidae is currently restricted to the new species described herein, and <i>Amphiura</i>? <i>gigantiformis</i> from the Miocene of Austria which, in fact, is a species of <i>Ophiocoma</i>. Since recent species of <i>Ophiocoma</i> exclusively occur in tropical to subtropical shallow subtidal environments, our discovery of a fossil <i>Ophiocoma</i> species in the rocky shore sediments of Ivö therefore conforms with the previously assumed subtropical palaeotemperatures prevailing in southern Sweden during the Late Cretaceous. Most notably, it represents the northernmost occurrence of an ophiocomid recorded to date. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:54:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-27c05acb9cb547a2b871b10dd33d1f98 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-6500 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:54:18Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Taxonomy |
| spelling | doaj.art-27c05acb9cb547a2b871b10dd33d1f982023-11-19T13:13:37ZengMDPI AGTaxonomy2673-65002023-06-013334635510.3390/taxonomy3030020The Northernmost Occurrence of the Tropical-Subtropical Brittle Star <i>Ophiocoma</i> (Echinodermata, Ophiuroidea) from a Late Cretaceous Rocky Shore in Southern SwedenBen Thuy0Lea D. Numberger-Thuy1Department of Palaeontology, Natural History Museum Luxembourg, 25 Rue Münster, 2160 Luxembourg, LuxembourgDepartment of Palaeontology, Natural History Museum Luxembourg, 25 Rue Münster, 2160 Luxembourg, LuxembourgIn spite of considerable progress during the last few years, the fossil record of the ophiuroids, or brittle stars, is still poorly known, especially with respect to taxa restricted to specific environments. Here, we describe new ophiuroid fossils collected from an Upper Cretaceous rocky shore in Ivö Klack, southern Sweden, consisting of fully disarticulated skeletal remains retrieved from the sediments deposited between boulders and hummocks. The fossils are identified as a new species of the extant ophiocomid genus <i>Ophiocoma</i>. In a critical revision of the ophiocomid fossil record, we show that all fossils previously assigned to the Ophiocomidae belong to other families. Thus, the fossil record of the Ophiocomidae is currently restricted to the new species described herein, and <i>Amphiura</i>? <i>gigantiformis</i> from the Miocene of Austria which, in fact, is a species of <i>Ophiocoma</i>. Since recent species of <i>Ophiocoma</i> exclusively occur in tropical to subtropical shallow subtidal environments, our discovery of a fossil <i>Ophiocoma</i> species in the rocky shore sediments of Ivö therefore conforms with the previously assumed subtropical palaeotemperatures prevailing in southern Sweden during the Late Cretaceous. Most notably, it represents the northernmost occurrence of an ophiocomid recorded to date.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6500/3/3/20OphiuroideaOphiocomidaemicrofossilsfossil recordnew speciesCretaceous |
| spellingShingle | Ben Thuy Lea D. Numberger-Thuy The Northernmost Occurrence of the Tropical-Subtropical Brittle Star <i>Ophiocoma</i> (Echinodermata, Ophiuroidea) from a Late Cretaceous Rocky Shore in Southern Sweden Taxonomy Ophiuroidea Ophiocomidae microfossils fossil record new species Cretaceous |
| title | The Northernmost Occurrence of the Tropical-Subtropical Brittle Star <i>Ophiocoma</i> (Echinodermata, Ophiuroidea) from a Late Cretaceous Rocky Shore in Southern Sweden |
| title_full | The Northernmost Occurrence of the Tropical-Subtropical Brittle Star <i>Ophiocoma</i> (Echinodermata, Ophiuroidea) from a Late Cretaceous Rocky Shore in Southern Sweden |
| title_fullStr | The Northernmost Occurrence of the Tropical-Subtropical Brittle Star <i>Ophiocoma</i> (Echinodermata, Ophiuroidea) from a Late Cretaceous Rocky Shore in Southern Sweden |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Northernmost Occurrence of the Tropical-Subtropical Brittle Star <i>Ophiocoma</i> (Echinodermata, Ophiuroidea) from a Late Cretaceous Rocky Shore in Southern Sweden |
| title_short | The Northernmost Occurrence of the Tropical-Subtropical Brittle Star <i>Ophiocoma</i> (Echinodermata, Ophiuroidea) from a Late Cretaceous Rocky Shore in Southern Sweden |
| title_sort | northernmost occurrence of the tropical subtropical brittle star i ophiocoma i echinodermata ophiuroidea from a late cretaceous rocky shore in southern sweden |
| topic | Ophiuroidea Ophiocomidae microfossils fossil record new species Cretaceous |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6500/3/3/20 |
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