Ausichicrinites zelenskyyi gen. et sp. nov., a first nearly complete feather star (Crinoidea) from the Upper Jurassic of Africa
Fossil comatulids, referred to as feather stars, are mostly known from highly disarticulated specimens. A single isolated element (centrodorsal) has been the basis for taxonomic description of a vast majority of fossil comatulids. Here, we report a nearly complete, and thus extremely rare, comatulid...
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The Royal Society
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Royal Society Open Science |
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| Online Access: | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.220345 |
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| author | Mariusz A. Salamon Sreepat Jain Tomasz Brachaniec Piotr Duda Bartosz J. Płachno Przemysław Gorzelak |
| author_facet | Mariusz A. Salamon Sreepat Jain Tomasz Brachaniec Piotr Duda Bartosz J. Płachno Przemysław Gorzelak |
| author_sort | Mariusz A. Salamon |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Fossil comatulids, referred to as feather stars, are mostly known from highly disarticulated specimens. A single isolated element (centrodorsal) has been the basis for taxonomic description of a vast majority of fossil comatulids. Here, we report a nearly complete, and thus extremely rare, comatulid from the Upper Jurassic (Tithonian) of the Blue Nile Basin in central western Ethiopia that provides a unique insight into the morphology of comatulid arms and cirri. It is assigned to Ausichicrinites zelenskyyi gen. et sp. nov. and is the first Jurassic comatulid from the African continent. The new taxon shows some similarities with representatives of the Mesozoic Solanocrinitidae but also has close resemblance with the modern family Zygometridae, exclusively known from the Holocene of western Pacific and eastern Indian Oceans. This morphologic similarity is considered to be due to convergence. The first example of pinnule regeneration in a fossil feather star is reported, which reinforces the hypothesis about the importance of predation in the evolution of these crinoids. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T16:11:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-81c0656b63264af08552702c799c0f45 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2054-5703 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T16:11:16Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | The Royal Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Royal Society Open Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-81c0656b63264af08552702c799c0f452023-04-24T09:20:18ZengThe Royal SocietyRoyal Society Open Science2054-57032022-07-019710.1098/rsos.220345Ausichicrinites zelenskyyi gen. et sp. nov., a first nearly complete feather star (Crinoidea) from the Upper Jurassic of AfricaMariusz A. Salamon0Sreepat Jain1Tomasz Brachaniec2Piotr Duda3Bartosz J. Płachno4Przemysław Gorzelak5Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Będzińska Street 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, PolandDepartment of Geology, School of Applied Natural Science, Adama Science and Technology University, 1888 Adama, Oromia, EthiopiaInstitute of Earth Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Będzińska Street 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, PolandFaculty of Science and Technology, University of Silesia in Katowice, Będzińska Street 39, 41-200 Sosnowiec, PolandInstitute of Botany, Faculty of Biology, Department of Plant Cytology and Embriology, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Gronostajowa Street 9, 30-387 Kraków, PolandInstitute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00-818 Warszawa, PolandFossil comatulids, referred to as feather stars, are mostly known from highly disarticulated specimens. A single isolated element (centrodorsal) has been the basis for taxonomic description of a vast majority of fossil comatulids. Here, we report a nearly complete, and thus extremely rare, comatulid from the Upper Jurassic (Tithonian) of the Blue Nile Basin in central western Ethiopia that provides a unique insight into the morphology of comatulid arms and cirri. It is assigned to Ausichicrinites zelenskyyi gen. et sp. nov. and is the first Jurassic comatulid from the African continent. The new taxon shows some similarities with representatives of the Mesozoic Solanocrinitidae but also has close resemblance with the modern family Zygometridae, exclusively known from the Holocene of western Pacific and eastern Indian Oceans. This morphologic similarity is considered to be due to convergence. The first example of pinnule regeneration in a fossil feather star is reported, which reinforces the hypothesis about the importance of predation in the evolution of these crinoids.https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.220345crinoidscomatulidspredationtithonianEthiopiaAfrica |
| spellingShingle | Mariusz A. Salamon Sreepat Jain Tomasz Brachaniec Piotr Duda Bartosz J. Płachno Przemysław Gorzelak Ausichicrinites zelenskyyi gen. et sp. nov., a first nearly complete feather star (Crinoidea) from the Upper Jurassic of Africa Royal Society Open Science crinoids comatulids predation tithonian Ethiopia Africa |
| title | Ausichicrinites zelenskyyi gen. et sp. nov., a first nearly complete feather star (Crinoidea) from the Upper Jurassic of Africa |
| title_full | Ausichicrinites zelenskyyi gen. et sp. nov., a first nearly complete feather star (Crinoidea) from the Upper Jurassic of Africa |
| title_fullStr | Ausichicrinites zelenskyyi gen. et sp. nov., a first nearly complete feather star (Crinoidea) from the Upper Jurassic of Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ausichicrinites zelenskyyi gen. et sp. nov., a first nearly complete feather star (Crinoidea) from the Upper Jurassic of Africa |
| title_short | Ausichicrinites zelenskyyi gen. et sp. nov., a first nearly complete feather star (Crinoidea) from the Upper Jurassic of Africa |
| title_sort | ausichicrinites zelenskyyi gen et sp nov a first nearly complete feather star crinoidea from the upper jurassic of africa |
| topic | crinoids comatulids predation tithonian Ethiopia Africa |
| url | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.220345 |
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