Phylum Echinodermata are crinoids, echinoids, spiny-skinned animals. Echinoderms are strictly marine animals that normally have pentameral or five fold symmetry. All echinoderms have a spiny ectoderm, a water vascular system, and tube feet that may be modified for special purposes. Echinoderms fill several niches and they may include algae grazers or deposit feeders (sea urchins), suspension feeders (crinoids) or even predatory carnivores (asteroids).
Echinocrinus sp. cf. E. aculeata
- Date Posted: 03/04/03
- Description: Class Echinoidea, Echinoids, Sea Urchins. "Echinocrinus" sp. cf. "E. aculeata" (Shumard & Swallow). Late Paleozoic echinoids were very fragile and disintegrated almost immediately after death. Unless the animal underwent extremely quick burial, its remains will not be found intact, although several complete examples have been found in older rocks Pennsylvanian rocks in Nebraska. Echinoids are usually represented by interambulacral plates and ornamented spines (illustrated here), lantern rays, and teeth.
- Database ID: 83
Archeophiomusium sp. cf. A. burrissi
- Date Posted: 03/04/03
- Description: Class Ophiuroidea, Brittle Stars. "Archeophiomusium" sp. cf. "A. burrissi" (Miller). Ophiuroids are very rare fossils and the remains of only two other more or less complete specimens from Nebraska and Iowa have been documented from the older late Pennsylvanian strata by Pabian and Strimple (1973). This more or less complete brittle star was found in the Hughes Creek Shale in Lancaster County. H. W. Miller, Jr., first described the species A. burrissi as "Ophiuraster burrissi" Miller from the Permian of Kansas. It was later determined that the genus name "Ophiuraster" was preoccupied by examples named by Clark (1939) and the species was placed in the genus "Ophiomusium Lyman" with some reservations. Subsequent collections of ophiuroid specimens led Hattin (1967)to erect a new genus "Archeophiomusium" to accommodate this species. This example well illustrates the self-correcting nature of scientific research.
- Database ID: 84
Archeophiomusium sp. cf. A. burrissi
- Date Posted: 03/04/03
- Description: Class Ophiuroidea, Brittle Stars. "Archeophiomusium" sp. cf. "A. burrissi" (Miller). Ophiuroids are very rare fossils and the remains of only two other more or less complete specimens from Nebraska and Iowa have been documented from the older late Pennsylvanian strata by Pabian and Strimple (1973). This more or less complete brittle star was found in the Hughes Creek Shale in Lancaster County. H. W. Miller, Jr., first described the species A. burrissi as "Ophiuraster burrissi" Miller from the Permian of Kansas. It was later determined that the genus name "Ophiuraster" was preoccupied by examples named by Clark (1939) and the species was placed in the genus "Ophiomusium Lyman" with some reservations. Subsequent collections of ophiuroid specimens led Hattin (1967)to erect a new genus "Archeophiomusium" to accommodate this species. This example well illustrates the self-correcting nature of scientific research.
- Database ID: 85
Ichnogenus Asteriacites
- Date Posted: 03/04/03
- Description: Class Stelleroides, Star Fish. Ichnogenus "Asteriacites" (von Schlotheim) 1820 . Undetermined starfish resting traces of starfishes have been found in some of the late Paleozoic rocks of the midcontinent.
- Database ID: 86
Ichnogenus Asteriacites
- Date Posted: 03/04/03
- Description: Class Stelleroides, Star Fish. Ichnogenus "Asteriacites" (von Schlotheim) 1820 . Undetermined starfish resting traces of starfishes have been found in some of the late Paleozoic rocks of the midcontinent.
- Database ID: 87
Graffhamicrinus boellstorffi
- Date Posted: 03/04/03
- Description: Class Crinoidea, Sea Lilies.. "Graffhamicrinus boellstorffi" Pabian & Strimple (holotype). Dorsal cup, summit and basal views are in images 88 and 89. This is the holotype specimen, the one on which the species was originally based. It was collected from the upper part of the Hughes Creek Shale on outcrops in Nemaha County. The species was originally described by Pabian and Strimple (1974) but Pabian and Rushlau (2002) called attention to encrustations of serpulid worms on the cup.
- Database ID: 88
Graffhamicrinus boellstorffi
- Date Posted: 03/04/03
- Description: Class Crinoidea, Sea Lilies.. "Graffhamicrinus boellstorffi" Pabian & Strimple (holotype). Dorsal cup, summit and basal views are in images 88 and 89. This is the holotype specimen, the one on which the species was originally based. It was collected from the upper part of the Hughes Creek Shale on outcrops in Nemaha County. The species was originally described by Pabian and Strimple (1974) but Pabian and Rushlau (2002) called attention to encrustations of serpulid worms on the cup.
- Database ID: 89
Graffhamicrinus boellstorffi
- Date Posted: 03/04/03
- Description: Class Crinoidea, Sea Lilies. "Graffhamicrinus boellstorffi" (Pabian & Strimple). Dorsal cup, summit and basal views are in images 90 and 91. This is a hypotype specimen---one that was collected from an outcrop of Hughes Creek shale in Richardson county, about 40 miles from where the holotype specimen was collected. This example was collected by Bill Rushlau and has subsequently been recorded by Pabian and Rushlau (2002) who called atttention to the algae coating and probably sponge borings through the surface of the cup.
- Database ID: 90
Graffhamicrinus boellstorffi
- Date Posted: 03/04/03
- Description: Class Crinoidea, Sea Lilies. "Graffhamicrinus boellstorffi" (Pabian & Strimple). Dorsal cup, summit and basal views are in images 90 and 91. This is a hypotype specimen---one that was collected from an outcrop of Hughes Creek shale in Richardson county, about 40 miles from where the holotype specimen was collected. This example was collected by Bill Rushlau and has subsequently been recorded by Pabian and Rushlau (2002) who called atttention to the algae coating and probably sponge borings through the surface of the cup.
- Database ID: 91
?Plaxocrinus
- Date Posted: 03/04/03
- Description: Class Crinoidea, Sea Lilies. "?Plaxocrinus sp." From left to right, sac spine, radial and primibrachial plate from large pirasocrinis, probably Plaxocrinus. Sac spine is about 1 in (25 mm) long. The sac spines formed the "ribs" of a large umbrella that sat atop the distal end of the anal sac of the crinoid. The spines may have warded off coprophytic gastropods or they may have served as a baffle to slow food bearing water currents, as suggested by Lewis (1979). Although remains of "Plaxocrinus" and other similar pirasocrinids are fairly common in the Hughes Creek Shale, no cups or crowns of these forms have yet been recovered in Nebraska.
- Database ID: 92
?Synarmocrinus
- Date Posted: 03/04/03
- Description: Class Crinoidea, Sea Lilies. "?Synarmocrinus" sp. "Synarmocrinus" was named by Lane (1964) for material that was collected from early Permisn strata in Nevada. The genus belongs to a family of crinoids called the Cromyocrinidae, that are usually large, robust forms that preferred well-oxygenated, shallow, warm water that characterized the nearshore facies in the cyclothemic deposits. Images 93 and 94 show proximal and distal views of a primibrachial (first arm) plate that connected immediately to the radial plate on the cup below. Cromyocrinid parts, like the pirasocrinid parts above, are fairly common in the Hughes Creek, but no cups or crowns of them have been collected from that unit in Nebraska so far.
- Database ID: 93
?Synarmocrinus
- Date Posted: 03/04/03
- Description: Class Crinoidea, Sea Lilies. "?Synarmocrinus" sp. "Synarmocrinus" was named by Lane (1964) for material that was collected from early Permisn strata in Nevada. The genus belongs to a family of crinoids called the Cromyocrinidae, that are usually large, robust forms that preferred well-oxygenated, shallow, warm water that characterized the nearshore facies in the cyclothemic deposits. Images 93 and 94 show proximal and distal views of a primibrachial (first arm) plate that connected immediately to the radial plate on the cup below. Cromyocrinid parts, like the pirasocrinid parts above, are fairly common in the Hughes Creek, but no cups or crowns of them have been collected from that unit in Nebraska so far.
- Database ID: 94
