A monograph of the Polish Oxfordian echinoids; Part 1, Subclass Cidaroidea CLAUS, 1880

Abstract

Cidaroid echinoids (subclass Cidaroidea CLAUS, 1880) from the Oxfordian part of a more than 1 km thick Upper Jurassic carbonate sequence developed over epicontinental areas of Poland (Polish Jura, Holy Cross Mountains, Mid-Polish Anticlinorium) are assigned to 13 taxa of the genera Rhabdocidaris DESOR, 1855, Polycidaris QUENSTEDT, 1858, Plegiocidaris POMEL, 1883, and Paracidaris POMEL, 1883. Their taxonomy is revised and discussed with a special emphasis on establishing the relationships between species based on bare tests and isolated spines. As former attempts to combine these elements, and to accommodate them into particular genera, have resulted in a very confused taxonomy of almost all of the species studied, the synonymies of the Polish species are revised. This offers a new insight into content of the genus Paracidaris POMEL, 1883, to which the species Paracidaris blumenbachi (MÜNSTER in GOLDFUSS, 1826), P. elegans (MÜNSTER in GOLDFUSS, 1826), P. florigemma (PHILLIPS, 1829), P. laeviscula (L. AGASSIZ, 1840), P. propinqua (MÜNSTER in GOLDFUSS, 1826) are assigned, and whose relation to the often-confused species Paracidaris parandieri (L. AGASSIZ, 1840) and P. filograna (L. AGASSIZ, 1840) is discussed.

The distinction is clarified between the species Plegiocidaris monilifera (GOLDFUSS, 1826) and Plegiocidaris coronata (GOLDFUSS, 1826) whose topotypic material from Staffelstein in Franconia (Germany) is analyzed.