Bundenbachia beneckei STUERTZ, 1886

Taxonomy

Brittle Star

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata Klein 1754
Class: Ophiuroidea Gray 1840
Order: Oegophiurida
Family: Protasteridae
Genus: Bundenbachia
Species: Bundenbachia beneckei
Author Citation STUERTZ, 1886

Geological Time Scale

Eon: Phanerozoic
Era: Paleozoic
Period: Devonian
Sub Period: None
Epoch: Early
International Age: Emsian (early)

Stratigraphy

Hunsrück Slate Group
Kaub Formation
Herrenberg Member

Provenance

Date Collected: 05/01/2018
Acquired by: Purchase/Trade

Dimensions

Diameter: 4 cm

Location

heap pile "Grube Herrenberg"
Bundenbach
Rhineland-Palatinate
Germany

• bundenbach
• bundenbachia
• devonian
• emsian
• hunsrück slate
• tff-oilshale-ec1827

Comments

The old name for this very common Ophiuroid is Taeniaster beneckei.

Taxonomy from Fossilworks.org.

Description from Südkamp 2017, p. 135: "The mouth-angle plates are slender and abut to form a characteristic V-shape. The disc is constructed of oval-shaped scale-like plates held together by a reticulated pattern of granular skin. The interradial margin is concave or rounded and lacks marginal plates. The proximal ambulacral furrow is broad. The five arms taper evenly into long whip-like tips. A finely granular skin covers the dorsal surface of the arms. The ambulacrals are alternating, unfused and boot-shaped. The foot is only slightly longer than the top of the boot. The laterals are crescent shaped and ear-like. They bear up to five groove spines and five evenly tapering vertical spines, the oral-most one is the longest. The vertical spines decrease in length distally along the arms. 

Identified by oilshale.

References:

Stürtz, B. (1886) Beitrag zur Kenntnis paläozoische Seesterne. Palaeontographica 32:75-98.
Südkamp, W. (2017): Life in the Devonian. Identification book Hunsrück Slate fossils. Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil. München 2017. ISBN978-3-89937-221-2.