Edited by TqB
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By TqB (edited)
Plumasterid sun star
Kingdom: Animalia
Eon: Phanerozoic
Era: Mesozoic
Period: Jurassic
Sub Period: None
Epoch: Early
International Age: Pliensbachian
Lias Group
Staithes Sandstone Formation
Collector: self
Date Collected: 11/01/2011
Acquired by: Field Collection
Width: 8.5 cm
Diameter: 11 (estimated complete specimen) cm
North Yorkshire coast
North Yorkshire County
North east
England
Fossil of the Month, January 2015.
Prepping details here: Jan 2015 finds of the month
A partial, extremely rare, many armed starfish, the genus was assigned to a new family Plumasteridae in 2011:
A. S. Gale. 2011. Asteroidea (Echinodermata) from the Oxfordian (Late Jurassic) of Savigna, Départment du Jura, France. Swiss Journal of Palaeontology 130:69-89
This is from the same area and formation as the holotype of its species.
The distinctive ossicles are common as disarticulated elements in sieved samples from Pliensbachian to Oxfordian.
Excerpt from the above paper:
Family Plumasteridae nov.
Diagnosis: Multiarmed (12–22 arms) asteroids with broad adambulacrals which occupy the entire actinal sur- face of the arm and V distally: adambulacrals concavo- convex, 5–8 specialised interlocking articulation ridges and grooves articulate with ridges on adjacent adambulacral (modified ada2-3); abactinal ossicles with numerous lateral projections and embayments, and each carries a central large convex boss with which long, glassy, ridged spines articulate.
Type genus: Plumaster Wright 1863, is the only genus included. It ranges from the Pliensbachian to the Oxfordian.
Discussion: The Plumasteridae is established for the distinctive multiarmed genus Plumaster. This is distinguished from other multiarmed spinulosans such as solas- terids by the unusual boss-like spine articulations of the abactinal ossicles, and the highly modified adambulacral ossicles, which articulate by means of ridges and grooves.
Edited by TqB
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