Ophiuroids (Echinodermata) from the Lower Cretaceous of Štramberk, Moravia (Czech Republic)
Authors:
Štorc R, Žítt J
Published in:
Bulletin of Geosciences, volume 99, issue 3;
pages: 255 - 269;
Received 17 October 2023;
Accepted in revised form 23 August 2024;
Online 13 October 2024
Keywords:
Brittle stars,
Valanginian,
Hauterivian,
Barremian,
taxonomy,
Tethys,
Moravia,
Central Europe,
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Abstract
Extremely rare skeletal remains of brittle stars, originating from Lower Cretaceous deposits in the Štramberk area are described and a preliminary discussion of depositional environments represented by these rocks is added. Several assemblages of dissociated ossicles from the Kopřivnice Formation (upper Valanginian; mostly from the Kotouč and Lower Blücher quarries) comprise only vertebrae. In contrast, an assemblage from the ?Hradiště Formation (Hauterivian and Barremian; Municipal quarry) has yielded taxonomically important lateral arm plates, which have enabled the present study of ophiuroid diversity. A total of five species have been found, including a single new taxon,
Ophiotitanos moravica sp. nov. The remaining taxa are left in open nomenclature. Similar to what has been documented from the Cenomanian and Turonian of the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin, representatives of the genus
Ophiotitanos predominate in the present assemblages. The presence of
Ophiotitanos, euryalids, ophiomusaids and ophiacanthins is reminiscent of some ophiuroid faunas from the Upper Cretaceous of Europe. The assemblage from the Municipal quarry differs markedly from ophiuroid faunas of the Aptian of Cuchía (Spain) and Wizard Way (Texas), but is closely similar to the one from the Barremian of Serre de Bleyton (France). Problems surrounding echinoderm occurrences in the Kopřivnice and ?Hradiště Formations are discussed.
