Geol G308

Paleontology and Geology of Indiana

Name: _____________________________________

Lab 7
Crinoids

Echinodermata
Phylum Echinoderm ata

Subphylum Eleutherozoa
unstalked echinoderms

Class Holothuroidea sea cucumbers (Cambrian to Recent)

Class Edrioasteroidea extinct urchin-like echinoderms (Cambrian to
Pennsylvanian)
Class Helicoplacoidea extinct mound-like echinoderms (Cambrian)
Class Echinoidea sea urchins (Ordovician to Recent)
Class Asteroidea starfish (Ordovician to Recent)
Class Ophiuroidea brittle stars (Ordovician to Recent)

Subphylum Pelmatozoa
stalked echinoderms

Class Paracrinoidea extinct crinoid-like echinoderms (Ordovician to Silurian)

Class Crinoidea sea lillies (Cambrian to Recent)
Class Blastozoa Blastoids (Silurian to Permian)

Class Blastozoa
Blastoids

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Crinoid anatomy

Crinoid anatomy. (Brusca and Brusca, 2003. The Invertebrates. Sinaeur.)

Cyathocrinites multibrachiatus

Hess et al., 1999. Fossil Crinoids. Cambridge University Press.

Crinoid skeleton parts.

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 a. Synostosis
b. Symplexy
c. Synarthry

Crinoid columnals (stalk segments).

(Hess et al., 1999. Fossil Crinoids. Cambridge University Press.)

Crinoid brachials (arm segements).

(Hess et al., 1999. Fossil Crinoids. Cambridge University Press.)

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Class Crinoidea

Subclass Inadunata
Loose or tightly fused plates, poorly developed camera, one or two rings of basals

Order Disparida Inadunates with one ring of basals

Order Cladida Inadunates with two rings of basals

Subclass Camerata
Tightly fused calyx plates, camera of oral and anal plates, one or two rings
of basals

Order M onobathrida Camerates with one ring of basals

Order Diplobathrida Camerates with two rings of basals

Subclass Flexibilia
Cladid-like crinoids with infrabasals reduced to three, loosely fused plates, uniserial arms and often
flanges on their brachials

Subclass Articulata
Cladid-like crinoids from Triassic to recent

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 Inadunata, Cladida
Few or no oral plates, two rings of basals below radials, poorly developed calyx
(radials colored black, orals and anals shaded

Cromyocrinus simplex
Cladida, Poteriocrinina
Upper Carboniferous, Russia

Camerata , Monobathrida
Lots of oral plates, one ring of basals below the radials

Actinocrinites triacontadactylus
Camerata, Monobathrida, Glyptocrinina
Middle Ordovician, USA

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 Camerata , Diplobathrida
Lots of oral plates, two rings of basals below the radials
(radials colored black, orals and anals shaded

Rhodocrinites kirbyi
Camerata, Diplobathrida, Eudiplobathrida
Mississippian (Burlington Limestone), Iowa

Flexibilia
Oral plates, two rings of basals below the radials, brachials with flanges at proximal end
(radials colored black, orals and anals shaded

Onychocrinus exsculptus
Flexibilia
Mississippian, Indiana

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Assignment
1. Isolated skeletal elements. For each specimen, indicate whether it is a columnal segment, a
brachial segment, or part of a calyx.

Specimen 1:

Specimen 2:

Specimen 3:

Specimen 4:

Specimen 5:

2. Identify taxa to Order based on calyx and arm features.

Taxon Oral plates Number of basal Brachial Order

present? rings? flanges?

Agaracocrinites

Macrocrinus

Eucalyptocrinus

Glyptocrinus

Crinoid A

Crinoid B

Crinoid C

Crinoid D

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