Holothurian sclerites from the Korytnica Clays (Middle Miocene; Holy Cross Mountains, Poland)

Abstract

The Korytnica Clays yield a rich assemblage of the holothurian sclerites which contain 32 forms belonging to 4 families: Stichopitidae, CalcIamnidae, Theeliidae and Synaptitidae. Eleven species are established new: Calclamna cruciformis sp. n.,. C. tricorniculata sp. n., Calclamnella clavata sp. n., C. deflandreae sp. n., C. korytnicensis sp. n., C. sanctacrucensis sp. n., C. trigonalis sp. n., Calclamnoidea tollmannae sp. n., Eocaudina lacrimaeformis sp. n., Mortensenites kielcensis sp. n., and M. multilaminaris sp. n. The comparison, of this assemblage with sclerites of Recent holothurians makes possible to assume that both burrowing and free moving (or seaweed clinging) species lived in the Korytnica basin.