Hostname: page-component-669899f699-chc8l Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-26T03:33:21.983Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A new asteroid (Echinodermata) faunule from the Early Cretaceous (Barremian) of Morocco

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 July 2015

Daniel B. Blake  and
Roland Reboul
Daniel B. Blake
Affiliation:
1Department of Geology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA,
Roland Reboul
Affiliation:
212, rue de la Colline, F-34360 Saint Chinian, France,
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

An asteroid (Echinodermata) faunule of four taxa representing three surviving families and a probable fourth is described from the Barremian (Early Cretaceous) of Morocco, northwest Africa. The four together suggest limited morphologic evolution since the Cretaceous but biogeographic and depth patterns have changed. Marocaster coronatus n. gen. n. sp. (Valvatida, Goniasteridae) combines apparent derived features of the dorsal disk and superomarginal shape with more stemward expressions of the abactinal ossicles. Betelgeusia orientalis n. sp. is a fourth Mesozoic occurrence of the Radiasteridae (Paxillosida), the new species similar to earlier occurrences from the Middle Jurassic of India, the Early Cretaceous of Texas, and the Late Cretaceous of Europe. Reported modern occurrences of the family are few, widely scattered, and limited to deeper water; the extinct species together testify to a once-broader familial distribution. Dipsacaster africanus n. sp., a member of the Astropectinidae (Paxillosida), is remarkably similar to extant congeners. Dipsacaster today is widely distributed in the Pacific Ocean but occurrences in the Atlantic are few. Because of preservation, a single small specimen of the Zoroasteridae? (Forcipulatida) cannot be identified with certainty. Extant zoroasterids are deep-water in distribution, although shallow-water Eocene representatives are known.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Paleontology , Volume 85 , Issue 6 , November 2011 , pp. 1021 - 1034
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Alcock, A. 1893. Natural history notes from HM Indian marine Survey Steamer Investigator. 9. An account of the deep-sea collection made during the season 1892–1893. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 11: 73–121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ambroggi, R. 1963. Étude géologique du versant méridional du Haut Atlas occidental et de la plaine du Souss. Notes et Mémoires du Service Géologique du Maroc, 157, 321 p.Google Scholar
Blake, D. B. 1981. The new Jurassic sea star genus Eokainaster and comments on life habits and the origins of the modern Asteroidea. Journal of Paleontology, 55: 33–46.Google Scholar
Blake, D. B. 1987. A classification and phylogeny of post-Palaeozoic sea stars (Asteroidea: Echinodermata). Journal of Natural History, 21: 481–528.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blake, D. B. 1990. Adaptive Zones of the Class Asteroidea (Echinodermata). Bulletin of Marine Science, 46: 701–718.Google Scholar
Blake, D. B. 2010. Comptoniaster adamsi nov. sp. (Echinodermata, Asteroidea) from the middle Cretaceous of Texas and its phylogenetic position. Geobios, 43: 179–190.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blake, D. B. and Hagdorn, H. 2003. The Asteroidea (Echinodermata) of the Muschelkalk (Middle Triassic of Germany). Paläontologische Zeitschrift, 77: 23–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blake, D. B. and Jagt, J. W. M. 2005. New latest Cretaceous and earliest Paleogene asteroids (Echinodermata) from The Netherlands and Denmark and their palaeobiological significance. Bulletin de l'Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Sciences de la Terre, 75: 183–200.Google Scholar
Blake, D. B. and Portell, R. W. 2009. Implications for the study of fossil Asteroidea (Echinodermata) of new genera and species from the Eocene of Florida. Journal of Paleontology, 83: 562–574.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blake, D. B. and Reid, R. III. 1998. Some Albian (Cretaceous) asteroids (Echinodermata) from Texas and their paleobiological implications. Journal of Paleontology, 72: 512–532.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blake, D. B. and Zinsmeister, W. J. 1977. Two early Cenozoic sea stars (class Asteroidea) from Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula. Journal of Paleontology, 53: 1145–1154.Google Scholar
Breton, G. 1992. Les Goniasteridae (Asteroidea, Echinodermata) Jurassiques et Crétacés de France: taphonomie, systématique, biostratigraphie, paléobiogéographie, évolution. Bulletin Trimestriel de la Société Géologique de Normandie et des Amis Muséum du Havre, Fascicule Hors Série, Supplément au Tome 78, Fascicule 4, 590 p.Google Scholar
Breton, G., Bilotte, M., and Sigro, G. 1995. Dipsacaster jadeti sp. nov., Astropectinidae (Asteroidea, Echinodermata) du Maastrichtien des Petites Pyrénées (France). Bulletin Trimestriel de la Société Géologique de Normandie et des Amis Muséum du Havre, 82: 35–42.Google Scholar
Brünnich Nielsen, K. 1943. The asteroids of the Senonian and Danian deposits of Denmark. Biologiske Skrifter fra det Dansk Videnskabelige Selskab 2, nr. 5, 68 p.Google Scholar
Clark, A. M. 1989. An index of names of Recent Asteroidea–Part 1: Paxillosida and Notomyotida, p. 225–347. In Jangoux, M. and Lawrence, J. M. (eds.), Echinoderm Studies. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam.Google Scholar
Clark, A. M. 1993. An index of names of Recent Asteroidea–Part 2: Valvatida, p. 187–366. In Jangoux, M. and Lawrence, J. M. (eds.), Echinoderm Studies. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam.Google Scholar
Company, M., Sandoval, J., Tavera, J. M., Aouatem, M., and Ettachfini, M. 2008. Barremian ammonite faunas from the Western High Atlas, Morocco–biostratigraphy and paleobiogeography. Cretaceous Research, 29: 9–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eagle, M. K. 2006. A new asteroid (Forcipulatida: Zoroasteridae) from the Eocene of Whangarei, Northland, New Zealand. Records of the Auckland Museum, 43: 81–96.Google Scholar
Ettachfini, M. 1991. Le Valanginien de l'Atlas Atlantique, Maroc: stratigraphie et ammonitofaune. Strata à l'Université de Toulouse, ser. 2, mem. 15, 153 p.Google Scholar
Fisher, W. K. 1911. Asteroidea of the North Pacific and adjacent waters. U.S. National Museum Bulletin, 76, 420 p.Google Scholar
Fisher, W. K. 1916. Notes on the systematic position of certain genera and higher groups of starfishes. Biological Society of Washington Proceedings, 29: 1–6.Google Scholar
Fisher, W. K. 1917. Notes on Asteroidea. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 20: 172–173.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fisher, W. K. 1919. Starfishes of the Philippine Seas and adjacent waters. United States National Museum Bulletin, 100: 3, 712 p.Google Scholar
Forbes, E. 1839. On the Asteriadae of the Irish Sea. Wernerian Natural History Society of Edinburgh Memoirs, 8: 113–129.Google Scholar
Forbes, E. 1841. A History of British Starfish and Other Animals of the Class Echinodermata. John Van Voorst, London, 267 p.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gale, A. S. 1986. Goniasteridae (Asteroidea, Echinodermata) from the Late Cretaceous of north-west Europe. 1. Introduction. The genera Metopaster and Recurvaster. Mesozoic Research, 1: 1–69.Google Scholar
Gale, A. S. 1987a. Goniasteridae (Asteroidea, Echinodermata) from the Late Cretaceous of north-west Europe. 2. The genera Calliderma, Crateraster, Nymphaster and Chomataster . Mesozoic Research, 1: 151–186.Google Scholar
Gale, A. S. 1987b. Phylogeny and classification of the Asteroidea. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 89: 107–132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gale, A. S. 2011. The phylogeny of post-Paleozoic Asteroidea (Neoasteroidea, Echinodermata). Special Papers in Palaeontology, 38, 112 p.Google Scholar
Gray, J. E. 1840. A synopsis of the genera and species of the class Hypostoma (Asterias Linnaeus). Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 6: 175–184, 275–290.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hageman, S. J. 1991. Approaches to systematic and evolutionary studies of perplexing groups: an example using fenestrate Bryozoa. Journal of Paleontology, 65: 630–647.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hageman, S. J. 1995. Observed phenotypic variation in a Paleozoic bryozoan. Paleobiology, 21: 314–328.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Halpern, J. A. 1968. Biological investigations of the deep sea. 38. A new western Atlantic Dipsacaster (Echinodermata, Asteroidea) with the distribution of known species. Biological Society of Washington Proceedings, 81: 231–240.Google Scholar
Hennig, W. 1966. Phylogenetic Systematics. University of Illinois Press, Chicago. 263 p.Google Scholar
Hess, H. 1972. Eine Echinodermen-Fauna aus dem mittleren Dogger des Aargauer Juras. Schweizerische Paläontologische Abhandlungen, 92, 87 p.Google Scholar
Hess, H. 1974. Neue Funde des Seesterns Terminaster cancriformis (Quenstedt) aus Callovien und Oxford von England, Frankreich und Schweiz. Eclogae Geologicae Helvetiae, 67: 647–659.Google Scholar
Hess, H. 1975. Die fossilen Echinodermen des Schweizer Juras. Veröffentlichungen aus dem Naturhistorischen Museum Basel, no. 8, 130 p.Google Scholar
Hess, H. and Blake, D. B. 1995. Coulonia platyspina n. sp., an asteroid from the Lower Cretaceous of Morocco. Eclogae Geologicae Helvetiae, 88: 777–788.Google Scholar
Jagt, J. W. M. 2000. Late Cretaceous–Early Palaeogene echinoderms and the K/T boundary in the southeast Netherlands and northeast Belgium, Pt. 5: Asteroids. Scripta Geologica, 116: 377–504.Google Scholar
Janies, D. A., Voight, J. R., and Daly, M. 2011. Echinoderm phylogeny including Xyloplax, a progenetic asteroid. Systematic Biology 60: 420–438.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Knott, K. E. and Wray, G. A. 2000. Controversy and consensus in asteroid systematics: New insights to ordinal and familial relationships. American Zoologist, 40: 382–392.Google Scholar
Lafay, B., Smith, A. B., and Christen, R. 1995. A combined morphological and molecular approach to the phylogeny of asteroids (Asteroidea: Echinodermata). Systematic Biology, 44: 190–208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lane, D. J. W. and Rowe, F. W. E. 2009. A new species of Asterodiscides (Echinodermata, Asteroidea, Asterodiscididae) from the tropical southwest Pacific, and the biogeography of the genus revisited. Zoostema, 31: 419–429.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liebau, A. 1978. Paläobathymetrische und paläoklimatische Veränderungen im mikrofaunenbild der maastrichter tuffkreide. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie Abhandlungen, 157: 233–237.Google Scholar
Macan, T. T. 1938. Asteroidea. The John Murray Expedition, 1933–1934, Reports, 4: 323–435.Google Scholar
MacBride, E. W. 1921. Echinoderm larvae and their bearing on classification. Nature, 108: 529–530.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mah, C. 2005. Cladistic analysis of the Goniasteridae (Asteroidea; Valvatoidea): phylogeny, evolution, and biodiversity. Unpublished , University of Illinois, 308 p.Google Scholar
Mah, C. L. 2009. World Asteroidea database. Available online at http://www.marinespecies.org/asteroidea. Consulted on 2010–11–07.Google Scholar
Mah, C. and Foltz, D. L. 2011. Molecular phylogeny of the Valvatacea (Asteroidea: Echinodermata). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 161: 769–788.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Masrour, M., Aouatem, M., and Atrops, F. 2004. Succession des peuplements d'échinides du Crétacé inférieur dans le haut atlas Atlantique, Maroc: révision systématique et intérét stratigraphique. Geobios, 37: 595–617.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Matsubara, M., Komatsu, M., Araki, T., Asakawa, S., Yokobori, S., Watanabe, K., and Wada, H. 2005. The phylogenetic status of Paxillosida (Asteroidea) based on complete mitochondrial DNA sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 36: 598–605.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mortensen, Th. 1927. Echinoderms of the British Isles. Oxford University Press, 269 p.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Orbigny, A. d'. 1840-1842. Paléontologie française; Terrains crétacés. 1. Céphalopodes. Masson, Paris, 121–430 (1841).Google Scholar
Perrier, E. 1881. Description sommaire des espèces nouvelles d'Astéries. Bulletin of the Museum of comparative Zoology, Harvard University, 9: 1–31.Google Scholar
Perrier, E. 1884. Mémoire sur les étoiles de mer recueillis dans la Mer des Antilles et le Golfe de Mexique. Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle Nouvelles Archives, 6: 127–276.Google Scholar
Perrier, E. 1894. Stéllerides. Expéditions Scientifiques du Travailleur et du Talisman. G. Masson, Paris, 431 p.Google Scholar
Rao, V. R. 1957. A new middle Jurassic asteroid from Pachham Island, Cutch, India. Journal of the Palaeontological Society of India, 2: 213–217.Google Scholar
Rasmussen, H. W. 1950. Cretaceous Asteroidea and Ophiuroidea. Danmarks Geologiske Undersøgelse, II. Raekke, 77, 134 p.Google Scholar
Schulz, M.-G. and Weitschat, W. 1971. Asteroideen aus der Schreibkreide von Lägerdorf (Holstein) und Hemmoor (Nord-Niedersachsen). Mitteilungen aus dem Geologisch-Paläontologischen Institut der Universität Hamburg, 40: 107–130.Google Scholar
Schulz, M.-G. and Weitschat, W. 1975. Phylogenie und stratigraphie der Asteroideen der nordwestdeutschen Schreibkreide Teil I: Metopaster/Recurvaster- und Calliderma/Chomaster-Gruppe. Mitteilungen aus dem Geologisch-Paläontologischen Institut der Universität Hamburg, 44: 249–284.Google Scholar
Schulz, M.-G. and Weitschat, W. 1981. Phylogenie und stratigraphie der Asteroideen der nordwestdeutschen Schreibkreide. Teil II: Crateraster/Teichaster-gruppe und gattung Ophryaster. Mitteilungen aus dem Geologisch-Paläontologischen Institut der Universität Hamburg, 51: 27–42.Google Scholar
Sladen, W. P. 1889. Report on the Asteroidea collected by the Challenger. Scientific Reports of the Results of the Voyage of the Challenger, Zoology, 30, 894 p.Google Scholar
Sladen, W. P. 1891, 1893. The British fossil Echinodermata from the Cretaceous formations, v. 2, The Asteroidea. Palaeontographical Society Monograph, pt. 1, 44: 1–28; pt. 2, 47:29–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spencer, W. K. 1905, 1907, 1908. The British fossil Echinodermata from the Cretaceous formations, v. 2, The Asteroidea. Palaeontographical Society of London Monograph, pt. 3, 59: 67–90; pt. 4, 61:91–132; pt. 5, 62:i–iv, 133–138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spencer, W. K. and Wright, C. W. 1966. Asterozoans, U4–U107. In Moore, R. C. (ed.), Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part U, Echinodermata 3. The Geological Society of America and The University of Kansas, Lawrence.Google Scholar
Stimpson, W. 1857. On the Crustacea and Echinodermata of the Pacific shores of North America. Boston Journal of Natural History, 6: 444–532.Google Scholar
Taj-Eddine, K. 1992. Le Jurassique terminal et le Crétacé basal dans l'Atlas atlantique, Maroc: biostratigraphie, sédimentologie, stratigraphie séquentielle et géodynamique. Strata à l'Université de Toulouse, ser. 2, mem. 16, 289 p.Google Scholar
Taj-Eddine, K., Rey, J., Aouatem, M., Ettachfini, M., and Hoedemaeker, P. 1990. Les couches de passage du Jurassique au Crétacé dans la région d'Agadir, Maroc: nouveaux éléments de datation et séquences de dépots. Revue de Paléobiologie, 9: 113–120.Google Scholar
Valette, A. 1929. Note sur quelques stelléridés jurassiques du Laboratoire de Faculté des Sciences de Lyon. Travaux du Laboratoire de Géologie de la Faculté des Sciences de Lyon, mem. 16, 13: 5–39.Google Scholar
Villier, L. 2010. Sea stars from Middle Jurassic lagerstätte of La Voûltesur-Rhône (Ardèche, France). Journal of Paleontology, 83: 389–398.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Villier, L., Blake, D. B., Jagt, J. W. M., and Kutscher, M. 2004. A preliminary phylogeny of the Pterasteridae (Echinodermata, Asteroidea) and the first fossil record: Late Cretaceous of Germany and Belgium. Paläontologische Zeitschrift, 78: 281–299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Villier, L., Breton, G., and Atrops, F. 2007. Une nouvelle étoile de mer (Prothrissacanthias africanus gen. nov. sp. nov.) du Berriasien d'Algérie. Revue de Paleobiologie, Genève, 26: 413–424.Google Scholar
Wada, H., Komatsu, M., and Satoh, N. 1996. Mitochondrial rDNA phylogeny of the Asteroidea suggests the primitiveness of the Paxillosida. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 6: 97–106.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Webster, M. 2011. The structure of cranidial shape variation in three early ptychoparioid trilobite species from the Dyeran–Delamaran (traditional “Lower-Middle” Cambrian) boundary interval of Nevada, U.S.A. Journal of Paleontology, 85: 179–225.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Witman, O. 1998. Le Barrémien–Aptien de l'Atlas Atlantique (Maroc): lithostratigraphie, biostratigraphie, sédimentologie, stratigraphie séquentielle, géodynamique et paléontologie. Strata à l'Université de Toulouse, sér. 2, mem. 30, 420 p.Google Scholar
Wright, T. 1863, 1866, 1880. British fossil echinodermata of the oolitic formations, v. 2, The Asteroidea and Ophiuroidea. Palaeontographical Society of London Monograph, 64: 1–130; 76:131–154; 158:155–203.Google Scholar