Loriolaster gracilis LEHMANN, 1957

Taxonomy

Brittle Star

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata Klein 1754
Class: Ophiuroidea Gray 1840
Order: Cheiropterasteridae
Family: Encrinasteridae Schuchert 1914
Genus: Loriolaster
Species: Loriolaster gracilis
Author Citation LEHMANN, 1857

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

Acquired by: Purchase/Trade

Dimensions

Diameter: 8 cm

Location

Eschenbach-Bocksberg Quarry
Bundenbach
Rhineland-Palatinate
Germany

• bundenbach
• devonian
• emsian
• hunsrueck
• loriolaster
• tff-oilshale-ec1835

Comments

Loriolaster was a slow-moving low-level epifaunal detritivore-suspension feeder.

Taxonomy from Fossilworks.org.

Description from Südkamp 2017, p. 132: " Loriolaster is related to Cheiropteraster and differs by the following features. The smooth skin forms a wide U-shaped area between the arms. The mouth frame consists of the mouth angle plates together with only the enlarged second ambulacrals. Loriolaster has wide ambulacrals and spoon like laterals. Their margin bears three rather short spines as well as one larger spine."

Loriolaster gracilis is somewhat rarer than the more robust L. mirabilis. 

Identified by oilshale.

References:

W.M. Lehmann. 1957. Die Asterozoen in den Dachschiefern des rheinischen Unterdevons. Abhandlungen des Hessischen Landesamtes für Bodenforschung 21:1-160.
Südkamp, W. (2017): Life in the Devonian. Identification book Hunsrück Slate fossils. Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil. München 2017. ISBN978-3-89937-221-2.