Loriolaster mirabilis Stuertz, 1886

Taxonomy

Brittle star

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata Klein 1754
Class: Ophiuroidea Gray 1840
Order: Cheiropterasteridae
Family: Encrinasteridae Schuchert 1914
Genus: Loriolaster
Species: Loriolaster mirabilis
Author Citation Stuertz, 1886

Geological Time Scale

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

Stratigraphy

Hunsrück Slate Group
Kaub Formation
Herrenberg Member

Provenance

Collector: T. Bastelberger
Date Collected: 06/01/1977
Acquired by: Field Collection

Dimensions

Diameter: 8 cm

Location

Heap pile "Grube Herrenberg"
Bundenbach
Rhineland-Palatinate
Germany

• bundenbach
• devonian
• emsian
• hunsrück slate
• loriolaster
• tff-oilshale-ec1031

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 mirabilis is more common than the more slender Loriolaster gracilis.

Identified by oilshale.
References:

Lehmann. W.M. (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.
Bartels, Christoph et al. (1997) Schatzkammer Dachschiefer: Die Lebenswelt des Hunsrückschiefer-Meeres. Mainz/Bochum (Landessammlung für Naturkunde Rheinland-Pfalz und Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum).