Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-hgkh8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-29T02:19:53.127Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

New rhenopyrgid edrioasteroids (Echinodermata) and their implications for taxonomy, functional morphology, and paleoecology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 September 2019

Timothy A. M. Ewin
Affiliation:
The Natural History Museum London, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK,
Markus Martin
Affiliation:
371 Pawling Street, Watertown, New York State, 13601, USA,
Phillip Isotalo
Affiliation:
93 Napier Street, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 4G2, Canada,
Samuel Zamora
Affiliation:
Instituto Geológico y Minero de España, C/ Manuel Lasala, 44-9o B, 50006 Zaragoza, Spain,

Abstract

Rhenopyrgids are rare, turreted edrioasterid edrioasteroids from the lower Paleozoic with a distinctive and apparently conservative morphology. However, new, well-preserved rhenopyrgid edrioasteroid material from Canada, along with a review of described taxa, has revealed broader structural diversity in the oral surface and enabled a re-evaluation of rhenopyrgid functional morphology and paleoecology.

The floor plates in Rhenopyrgus viviani n. sp., R. coronaeformis Rievers, 1961 and, R. flos Klug et al., 2008 are well fused to each other and the interradial oral plate and lack obvious sutures, thereby forming a single compound interradial plate. This differs from other rhenopyrgids where sutures are more apparent. Such fused oral surface construction is only otherwise seen in some derived edrioblastoids and in the cyathocystids, suggesting homoplasy.

Our analysis further suggests that the suboral constriction could contract but the flexible pyrgate zone could not. Thus, specimens apparently lacking a sub-oral constriction should not necessarily be placed in separate genera within the Rhenopyrgidae. It also supports rhenopyrgids as epifaunal mud-stickers with only the bulbous, textured, entire holdfasts (coriaceous sacs) anchored within the substrate rather than as burrow dwellers or encrusters.

Rhenopyrgus viviani n. sp. is described from the Telychian (lower Silurian) Jupiter Formation of Anticosti Island, Québec, Canada and is differentiated by a high degree of morphological variability of pedunculate plates, broader oral plates, and narrower distal ambulacral zones. Specimens lacking or with obscured diagnostic plates from the Ordovician of Montagne Noire, France, and the Ordovician and Silurian of Girvan, Scotland are also described.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/7f81d67f-4155-4719-8a45-b278ad70739d

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © 2019, 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.)

References

Álvaro, J.J., González-Gómez, C., Vizcaïno, D., 2003, Paleogeographic patterns of the Cambrian-Ordovician transition in the southern Montagne Noire (France): preliminary results: Bulletin de la Société géologique de France, v.174, no. 3, p. 2331.Google Scholar
Aurivillius, C.W.S., 1892, Über einige obersiurische Cirripeden aus Gotland: Bihang till Kongliga Scenska Vetenskaps-akademiens handlingar, v. 18, p. 124.Google Scholar
Ausich, W.I., and Copper, P., 2010, The Crinoidea of Anticosti Island, Québec (Late Ordovician to Early Silurian): Paleontographica Canadiana, 29, p. 1163.Google Scholar
Bartels, C., Briggs, D.E.G., and Brassel, G., 1998, The Fossils of the Hunsrück Slate—Marine Life in the Devonian: Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press, 309 p.Google Scholar
Bather, F.A., 1914, The Edrioasters of the Trenton Limestone (parts 1 and 2): Geological Magazine (n.s.) Dec. 6, 5, p. 543550.Google Scholar
Bather, F.A., 1915, Studies in Edrioasteroidea IV. Pyrgocystis n.g.: Geologcial Magazine, Dec. 6, 5–12, p. 4990.Google Scholar
Bassler, R.S., 1936, New species of American Edrioasteroidea: Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, v. 95, p.133.Google Scholar
Bell, B.M., 1976, A Study of North American Edrioasteroidea: New York State Museum Memoir, v. 21, 446 p.Google Scholar
Bell, B.M., 1977, Respiratory schemes in the class Edrioasteroidea: Journal of Paleontology, v. 50, p. 10011019.Google Scholar
Bell, B.M., 1982, Edrioasteroids, in Sprinkle, J., ed., Echinoderm faunas from the Bromide Formation (Middle Ordovician) of Oklahoma: University of Kansas Paleontological Contributions, Monograph 1, p. 279306.Google Scholar
Billings, E., 1857, Report for the year 1856, fossils from Anticosti, and new species of fossils from the Lower Silurian rocks of Canada: Geological Survey of Canada Report and Progress 1853–1856, p. 247345.Google Scholar
Billings, E., 1858, On the Asteriadae of the Lower Silurian rocks of Canada: Geological Survey of Canada, Figures and Descriptions of Canadian Organic Remains, Dec. 3, p. 7585.Google Scholar
Bockelie, J.F., and Paul, C.R.C., 1983, Cyathotheca suecica and its bearing on the evolution of Edrioasteroidea: Lethaia, v. 16, p. 257264.Google Scholar
Bonin, A., Nardin, E., Vennin, E., and Vizcaïno, D., 2007, Brachiopod coquinas of the Upper Arenig, Montagne Noire, France, in Vennin, E., Aretz, M., Boulvain, F., and Munnecke, A., eds., Facies from Paleozoic reefs and bioaccumulations: Publications Scientifiques du Muséum 195, p. 9193.Google Scholar
Briggs, D.E.G, Siveter, D.J., Siveter, D.J., Sutton, M.D., and Rahman, I.A., 2017, An edrioasteroid from the Silurian Herefordshire Lagerstätte of England reveals the nature of the water vascular system in an extinct echinoderm: Proceedings of the Royal Society B, v. 284, 20171189 https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2017.1189Google Scholar
Bruguière, J.G., de, , 1791, Tableau encyclopèdique et mèthodique des trois règnes de la nature: L'helminthogie: Paris, Charles-Joseph Panckoucke, v. 17, 83 p.Google Scholar
Chatterton, B.D.E, and Ludvigsen, R., 2004, Early Silurian Trilobites of Anticosti Island, Québec, Canada: Paleontographica Canadiana 22, 264 p.Google Scholar
Dehm, R., 1961, Über Pyrgocystis (Rhenopyrgus) nov. subgen. Coronaeformis Rievers aus dem rheinischen Unter-Devon: Mitteilungen der Bayerischen Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und historische Geologie, v. 1, p. 1217Google Scholar
Fay, R.O., 1962, Edrioblastoidea, a new class of Echinodermata: Journal of Paleontology, v. 36, p. 201205.Google Scholar
Fay, R.O., 1968, Edrioblastoids, in Moore, R.C., ed., Treaties on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part S, Echinodermata, v. 1, no. 1, New York and Lawrence, Kansas, Geological Society of America and University of Kansas, p. S289S292.Google Scholar
Grigo, M., 2000, Erstnachweis von Edrioasteroidea (Echinodermata) aus dem Mittel-Devon der Eifel (Rheinisches Schiefergebirge): Paläontologische Zeitschrift, v. 74, p. 9198.Google Scholar
Guensburg, T.E., and Sprinkle, J., 1994, Revised phylogeny and functional interpretation of the Edrioasteroidea based on new taxa from the Early and Middle Ordovician of western Utah: Fieldiana (Geology), n.s. 29, p. 143.Google Scholar
Hess, H., Ausich, W.I., Brett, C.E., and Simms, M.J., 1999, Fossil Crinoids: Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press, 275 p.Google Scholar
Holloway, D.J., and Jell, P.A., 1983, Silurian and Devonian edrioasteroids from Australia: Journal of Paleontology, v. 57, p. 10011016.Google Scholar
Kammer, T.W., Sumrall, C.D., Ausich, W.I., Deline, B., and Zamora, S., 2013, Oral region homologies in Paleozoic crinoids and other plesiomorphic pentaradial echinoderms: PLoS ONE, v. 8, no. 11, p. 116.Google Scholar
Klein, J.T., 1734, Naturalis dispositio echinodermatum. Danzig, Schreiber, p. 179.Google Scholar
Klug, C., Kröger, B., Korn, D., Rücklin, M., Schemm-Gregory, M., de Baets, K., and Mapes, R.H., 2008, Ecological change during the early Emsian (Devonian) in the Tafilalt (Morocco), the origin of the Ammonoidea, and the first African pyrgocystid edrioasteroids, machaerids and phyllocarids: Paleontographica Beiträge zur Naturgeschichte der Vorzeit, Abteiling A: Paläozoologie-Stratigraphie 283, p. 83176.Google Scholar
Lefebvre, B., Derstler, K., and Sumrall, C.D., 2012, A reinterpretation of the solute Plasiacystis mobilis (Echinodermata) from the Middle Ordovician of Bohemia, in Kroh, A., and Reich, M., eds., Echinoderm Research 2010: Proceedings of the Seventh European Conference on Echinoderms, Gottingen, Germany, 2–9 October 2010: Zoosymposia 7, p. 287306.Google Scholar
Long, D.G.F., 2007, Tempestite frequency curves: a key to Late Ordovician and Early Silurian subsidence, sea-level change, and orbital forcing in the Anticosti foreland basin, Québec, Canada: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, v. 44, p. 413431.Google Scholar
Mintz, L. W., 1970, The Edrioblastoidea: re-evalutaion based on a new specimen of Astrocystites from the Middle Ordovician of Ontario: Journal of Paleontology, v. 44, p. 872880.Google Scholar
Noffke, N., and Nitsch, E., 1994, Sedimentology of Lower Ordovician clastic shelf deposits, Montagne Noire (France): Géologie de la France, v. 4, p. 319.Google Scholar
Rievers, J., 1961, Eine neue Pyrgocystis (Echinod., Edrioasteroidea) aus den Bundenbacher Dachschiefern (Devon): Mitteilungen der Bayerischen Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und historische Geologie, v. 1, p. 911.Google Scholar
Sinclair, G.W., and Bolton, T.E., 1965, A new species of Hemicystites: Contributions to Canadian Paleontology, Bulletin 134, pt. 3, p. 3539.Google Scholar
Smith, A.B., 1985, Cambrian eleutherozoan echinoderms and the early diversification of edrioasteroids: Paleontology, v. 28, p. 715756.Google Scholar
Smith, A.B., and Jell, P.A., 1990, Cambrian edrioasteroids from Australia and the origin of starfishes: Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, v. 28, p. 715778.Google Scholar
Sprinkle, J., 1973, Morphology and Evolution of Blastozoan Echinoderms: Harvard University, Museum of Comparative Zoology Special Publication, 283 p.Google Scholar
Sprinkle, J., and Sumrall, C.D., 2015, New edrioasterine and astrocystitid (Echinodermata: Edrioasteroidea) from the Ninemile Shale (Lower Ordocician), central Nevada: Journal of Paleontology, v. 89, p. 346352.Google Scholar
Sumrall, C.D., 1993, Thecal designs in isorophinid edrioasteroids: Lethaia, v. 26, p. 289302.Google Scholar
Sumrall, C.D., 1996, Late Paleozoic edrioasteroids (Echinodermata) from the North American Midcontinent: Journal of Paleontology, v. 70, p. 969985.Google Scholar
Sumrall, C.D., Heredia, S., Rodríguez, C.M., and Mestre, A.I., 2013, The first report of South American edrioasteroids and the paleoecology and ontogeny of rhenopyrgid echinoderms: Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, v. 58, p. 763776.Google Scholar
Vizcaïno, D., and Lefebvre, B., 1999, Les échinodermes du Paléozoïque inférieur de Montagne Noire: biostratigraphie et paléodiversité: Geobios, v. 32, p. 353364.Google Scholar
Vizcaïno, D., Álvaro, J.J., and Lefebvre, B., 2001, The Lower Ordovician of the southern Montagne Noire: Annales de la Société Géologique Nord, v. 8, p. 213220.Google Scholar
Wilde, P., 1991, Oceanography in the Ordovician, in Barnes, C.R., and Williams, S.H., eds., Advances in Ordovician Geology: Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 90-9, p. 283298.Google Scholar
Zhu, X., Zamora, S., and Lefebvre, B., 2014, Morphology and paleoecology of a new edrioblastoid from the Furongian of China: Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, v. 59, p. 921926.Google Scholar