Asterocidaris
| Asterocidaris Temporal range:
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| Fossil of Asterocidaris species from Morocco | |
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| Fossil spicules of Asterocidaris meandrina | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Class: | Echinoidea |
| Infraclass: | Carinacea |
| Family: | †Hemicidaridae |
| Genus: | †Asterocidaris Cotteau, 1859[1] |
Asterocidaris is a genus of fossils sea urchins in the family Hemicidaridae. These epifaunal grazer-deposit feeders lived in the Middle and Upper Jurassic age (from 171.6 to 161.2 Ma).[2]
Species
- Asterocidaris besairiei Lambert, 1936 †
- Asterocidaris meandrina (Agassiz 1840) † [3]
- Asterocidaris ragoti Lambert, 1936 †
Description
These fossil spined echinoid sea urchins can reach a diameter of about 25 millimetres (0.98 in), with spicules of about 69x60mm.[5] They are hemispherical, flattened beneath, with small apical disc.[6]
Distribution
Fossils of species within this genus have been found in the Middle to Upper Jurassic sediments (Bajocian-Oxfordian) in Europe, Madagascar and Africa (Morocco).[4][6]
References
- ^ GBIF. "Asterocidaris Cotteau, 1859 - Checklist View". gbif.org. Retrieved 2015-05-10.
- ^ "Fossilworks: Asterocidaris". fossilworks.org. Retrieved 2015-05-10.
- ^ "Mesozoic_Echinoids". earthphysicsteaching.homestead.com. Retrieved 2015-05-10.
- ^ a b "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Asterocidaris Cotteau, 1859 †". marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2015-05-10.
- ^ "Spicules - Miner Fossil, Tú tienda de fósiles y minerales - Your shop of minerals and fossils". minerfossil.jimdo.com. Retrieved 2015-05-10.
- ^ a b Smith, A. B. & Kroh, A. (editor) 2011. The Echinoid Directory
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