130 



A.B. SMITH £TAL. 



Remarks. The position of the peristome varies from being almost 

 at the anterior margin to around 20% of test length from the anterior. 



Coraster beneharnicus Seunes, 1888 



PI. 10, figs 1-5, 1 1-13; Figs 36, 37b 



1888a Coraster beneharnicus Seunes: 804, pi. 29, fig. 1. 

 1975 Coraster beneharnicus Seunes; Plaziat etal.: 635, pi. 1 , figs 

 1-6, text-figs 6, 8. 



Diagnosis. Test slightly longer than wide with weak subanal heel. 

 Anterior ambulacrum forming a broad and shallow frontal groove 

 which deepens adorally and extends to the peristome. Peristome up 

 to 25 % of the distance from the anterior. 



Occurrence. Danian of Erice, Astieso, Aristregui, Larumbe, 

 Navarra, Spain. 



Material studied. BMNH EE4822-26, EE4842-^4EE6070, 

 EE6218, EE6221-25, EE6233; MGB 37345-46, 37354-62, 37368, 

 37373-78,37385-401. 



Gtvm^ HOMOEASTER?omsl 1883 



Diagnosis. Test ovate with no frontal groove. Domed to subconical 

 apical surface and flat oral surface. Paired ambulacra non-petaloid to 

 sub-petaloid. Apical system ethmophract and anteriorly positioned, 

 with four gonopores. Peristome small, circular, non-labiate, down- 

 ward facing. Peripetalous fasciole present, passing just above the 

 periproct posteriorly and at or immediately beneath the ambitus 

 anteriorly. 



Homoeaster evaristei (Cotteau, 1886) 



PI. 11, figs 1-3; Fig. 38 



1886b Ornithaster evaristei Cotteau: 72, pi. 9, figs 5-8. 



1892 Ornithaster evaristei Co\Xz?M\^\c]d€&: 115. 



1960 Homoeaster evaristei (Cotteau); Poslavskaya & Moskvin: 



61, fig. ll,pl. 3, fig. 2. 

 1995 Ornithaster? evaristei Cotteau; Galleml et al.: 269, table 1 . 

 1995 Ornithaster? sp.; Gallemi et al., table 1 . 



Diagnosis. Test length up to 30 mm; width approximately 90% of 

 the test length; height 70% of the test length; tallest towards anterior 

 of test. Posterior surface obliquely truncated so that the ovate, 

 longitudinal periproct is just visible from above. Apical system lying 

 40% of the test length from the anterior margin. Peristome 25% of 

 the test length from the anterior border. Aboral pore-pairs small and 

 slighdy circumflexed. Peripetalous fasciole without distinct kink 

 immediately behind the anterio-lateral ambulacra. 



Occurrence. Danian of Erice, Navarra. The type comes from the 

 Danian of Alfas del Pi, Alicante province, Spain. 



Material studied. BMNH EE6220, EE6235, MGB 37347. 



Remarks. Distinguished from the closely related Upper Creta- 

 ceous H. tunetanus by its peripetalous fasciole which follows a 

 weakly undulous path around the test. In H. tunetanus the peripetalous 

 fasciole is sharply kinked immediately behind the anterio-lateral 

 ambulacra. 



Genus OVULASTER Cotteau, 1884 



Diagnosis. Test highly inflated, with anterior sulcus lacking or 

 extremely feeble. Ovate in profile with posterior tapering to a blunt 



Fig. 38 Camera lucida drawing of plating in Homoeaster evaristei 

 (Cotteau. 1886) from the Danian of Erice (Navarra); BMNH EE6220, 

 apical disc. Scale bar = 1 mm. 



point. Apical disc ethmophract with four gonopores. Ambulacral 

 plates tall, with small non-petaloid pore-pairs only. Peristome small 

 and circular; slightly depressed. Periproct ovate, placed supra-mar- 

 ginally on steeply sloping posterior part of test. Plastron 

 amphistemous with relafively broad contact between labrum and 

 sternal plates. Subanal fasciole only. 



Ovulaster reticulatus Smith & Gallemi, sp. nov. 



PI. 10, figs 6-10; Figs 39, 40 



Diagnosis. Ovate Ovulaster with ambulacral and interambulacral 

 plates swollen centrally where they are covered in a coarse reticulate 

 stereom meshwork. Aboral tubercles rather coarse and widely scat- 

 tered. Lower surface of test flatter than in other species. All ambulacra 

 with reduced and obliquely set pore-pairs. Traces of a subanal 

 fasciole are preserved in the paratype, although much of its 

 tuberculation is missing. 



Types. Holotype BMNH EE6236, paratype BMNH EE6074. 



Occurrence. Lower Maastrichtian black shale facies, Sarasate, 

 Navarra, Spain. 



Remarks. The three previously described species of Ovulaster all 

 come from the Coniacian-Santonian of North Africa. Compared to 

 O. reticulatus. O. zignoanus (d'Orbigny) is more wedge-shaped in 

 profile and has a slight frontal sulcus. O. auberti Gauthier and O. 

 obtusus Cotteau are very rounded in profile and lack the flat base 

 seen in our species. All three North African species lack the distinc- 

 five tumid plating with its characteristic reticulate stereom meshwork 

 shown by O. reticulatus. 



Family SCHIZASTERIDAE Lambert in Doncieux, 1905 

 Genus LINTHIA Desor, 1853 



Diagnosis. Test cordate with deep anterior sulcus. Paired 

 ambulacra form long, straight, subequal petals. Apical system 

 ethmolytic with four gonopores. Peripetalous fasciole strongly in- 

 dented between petals. Latero-anal fasciole present. Labral plate 

 relatively short and wide. 



