LATE CRETACEOUS-EARLY TERTIARY ECHINOIDS 



113 



Fig. 22 Camera lucida drawing of plating in Stegaster bouillei (Cotteau, 

 in de Bouille, 1873) from the late Maastrichtian of Bidart (Pyrenees- 

 Atlantiques, France); BMUW 94988, oral surface (interambulacra 

 shaded). Scale bar = 5 mm. 



sulcus sharp and well developed, forming obvious narrow groove on 

 oral surface. Ambulacral plates low and relatively wide, compared to 

 S. alius, and with elongate pore-pairs en chevron. Larger primary 

 tubercles present close to the apex and along the posterior ridge 

 between the apex and periproct. Larger tubercles also developed just 

 above the ambitus around the posterior part of the test. Periproct 

 supra-ambital, but test depressed below the periproct so that the 

 periproct opening is just visible in oral view. 



Occurrence. Lower Maastrichtian (black shale facies), Sarasate, 

 Navarra; upper Upper Maastrichtian, Bidart, Pyrenees-Atlantiques, 

 France. The species was first described from the Maastrichtian of the 

 French Pyrenees between Gan and Rebenac, and is also known from 

 the Province of Alicante, Spain and from Turkey, Crimean peninsula. 

 Republic of Georgia, and the North Caucasus. 



Material studied. BMNH EE4375, EE4568, EE4566, EE6066, 

 MGB 37286-87, 37300. 



Remarks. Easily separated from 5. alius by its characteristic 

 elongate shape and vaulted upper surface with the tallest point 

 anterior. S. cotteaui differs in having a disjunct plastron and a more 

 ovate outline. 



Stegaster altus Seunes, 1 889 



1889 Stegaster altus Seunes: 815, pi. 26, fig. 1. 



1891 Stegaster chalmasi Seunes: 23, pi. 1, fig. 1. 



1892 Stegaster chalmasi Seunes; Nickles: 1 10. 

 1892 Stegaster altus Seunes; Nickles: 111. 



1995 Stegaster novoi Lambert; Gallemi et ai: 269, table 1 . 



Diagnosis. Test up to 50 mm in length. Like S. boullei, but test 

 almost as wide as long and very tall; height more than 70% of test 

 length. Ambulacral plates much taller than in S. bouillei. 



Occurrence. Lower Maastrichtian (black shale facies), Sarasate, 

 Navarra. Upper Upper Maastrichtian, Bidart, Pyrenees-Atlantiques, 

 France. This species was first described from the Maastrichtian of 



the French Pyrenees. It also occurs in the Alicante Province of Spain 

 and in Tunisia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Republic of Georgia and the North 

 Caucasus. 



Material studied. BMNH EE4396, EE4347-50. EE6 176-78, 

 MGB 37298-99, BMUW 74610, 74753, 74788, 74945, 94946, 

 94949, 94988, 94994. 



Remarks. Readily distinguished from other species of Stegaster 

 by its wider and much taller test. 



Stegaster cotteaui Seunes, 1 889 



PI. 6, figs 1-5; Figs 23, 24 



1889 Stegaster cotteaui Seunes: 813, pi. 25, fig. 3. 



Diagnosis. Test up to 60 mm in diameter; cordiform, as wide as 

 long or slightly wider. All material crushed, but apparently rather 

 rounded at the ambitus when not crushed and not very tall; tallest 

 point anterior of mid-length. Ambulacral plates rather tall with 

 small, almost rudimentary pore-pairs. Plastron disjunct with labral 

 plate separated from succeeding sternal plate by ambulacral plates. 

 Tuberculation unknown. 



Occurrence. Upper Upper Maastrichtian, Bidart, Pyrenees- 

 Atlantiques, France. 



Material studied. BMNH 75697, E2916, El 0972, BMUW 

 74603, 74607, 74609a, 74772, 74789, 7479 1 , 94946, 94948, 94985, 

 94986,94989,94991a. 



Remarks. Most similar to Stegaster heberti, differing primarily in 

 having a disjunct plastron (a feature which we can confirm is not 

 size-related). It comes very close to Sanchezaster habanensis Lam- 

 bert in appearance, differing only in having double pores on 

 ambulacral plates rather than single pores. 



Stegaster palaeocenicus Smith & Gallemi, sp. nov. 



PI. 5, figs 4-6; Fig. 25 



Diagnosis. Stegaster with disjunct plastron and posterio-lateral 

 interambulacra. 



Description. Test up to 55 mm in length; ovate with slight ante- 

 rior invagination and small bilobed posterior projection in aboral 

 plan view. Distinctly conical in profile with tallest point coincident 

 with apical disc; rounded in front and sloping to rear. Frontal groove 

 absent adapically, but rapidly deepening at the ambitus and continu- 

 ing as a deep channel to the peristome, which is forward-facing. The 

 interambulacral plates on either side form a distinct keel. Apical disc 

 positioned anteriorly (about 30% test length from the anterior bor- 

 der); elongate and of standard holasterid structure with four 

 gonopores. Aboral pore-pairs small and sunken; never elongate; 

 becoming microscopic away from the apical disc. Plastron 

 orthosternous and disjunct, with ambulacral plates separating the 

 labrum and first sternal plate. The latero-posterior interambulacra 

 are also disjunct. Periproct supra-ambital, on short posterior face and 

 above small double protuberance. Aboral tuberculation composed of 

 a uniform scattering of small tubercles set in a dense granulation; no 

 enlarged tubercles differentiated. No marginal fasciole. 



Occurrence. Late Danian of Aristregui and Larumbe. Navarra 

 Province. 



Types. Holotype MGB 3735 1 , paratypes MGB37352, 3738 1 . 



Remarks. The deep sulcus developed from the ambitus to the 



peristome idenUfies this as a stegasterid. Our species lacks the 

 marginal fasciole and enlarged tubercles of Guettaria and Rispolia, 



