Palaeosolaster gregoryi Stürtz 1899

Taxonomy

29-armed starfish

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata Klein 1754
Class: Asteroidea de Blainville 1830
Order: Euaxosida Blake 2018
Family: Palasterinidae Gregory 1899
Genus: Palaeosolaster
Species: Palaeosolaster gregoryi
Author Citation Stürtz 1899

Geological Time Scale

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

Stratigraphy

Hunsrück Slate Group
Kaub Formation

Provenance

Acquired by: Purchase/Trade

Dimensions

Diameter: 17 cm

Location

Eschenbach-Bocksberg Quarry
Bundenbach
Rheinland-Pfalz
Germany

• bundenbach
• devonian
• emsian
• kaub formation
• palaeosolaster
• tff-oilshale-ec1831

Comments

This rare Palaeosolaster lies somewhat unfortunate on its side and is not completely preserved. A conularia is partially hidden by the arms.

Taxonomy from Fossilworks.org.

Synonyms: Echinasterias Stürtz 1899, Echinodiscaster Stürtz 1899, Echinodiscites Stürtz 1899, Echinodiscus Stürtz 1899, Echinostella Stürtz 1899.

From Südcamp 2017, p. 124: “Palaeosolaster is similar to Palasterina, but can be distinguished easily by its 25-29 arms and large mouth. The mouth-angle plates are narrow and show high relief. The madreporite lies on the oral surface. The groove is wide. The opposite broad flat ambulacrals have L-shaped ridges. The narrow adambulacrals, which are similar to the side-shields of ophiuroids, bound the oral margin of the arms and bear short spines. The interbrachial areas and the dorsal surface are filled with scattered plates, each bearing a spine.”

Identified by oilshale using Südcamp 2017.

References:

Stürtz. E, (1899) Ein weiter Beitrag zur Kenntnis paläozoischer Asteroiden. Verhandlungen des Naturhistorischen Vereins der preussischen Rheinlande und Westfalens 56:176-240.

Spencer, W. K. (1925) A monograph of the British Palaeozoic Asterozoa. Monograph of the Palaeontographical Society, London 1922(6):237-324.

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.