Linguaserridae Reich and Haude, 2004

Hausmann, Imelda M., Nützel, Alexander, Roden, Vanessa Julie & Reich, Mike, 2021, Palaeoecology of tropical marine invertebrate assemblages from the Late Triassic of Misurina, Dolomites, Italy, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 66 (1), pp. 143-192 : 177

Family Linguaserridae Reich and Haude, 2004 Genus Linguaserra Langer, 1991

Type species: Linguaserra ligula Langer, 1991 ; Germany, Devonian.

Linguaserra triassica Reich in Reich et al., 2018

Fig. 30F .

Material.—One goniodont ( PZO 11827) from Misurina Landslide bulk sample, Italy, Carnian, Triassic.

Description.—See Reich et al. (2018: 805–806).

Remarks.—This small linguaserrid goniodont ( Fig. 30F ) was described recently by Reich et al. (2018) as a new species, representing the stratigraphically youngest record of ophiocistioid teeth worldwide. Our Misurina material is important because it provides the only evidence of this “Palaeozoic” echinoderm group known from Mesozoic strata. Ophiocistioids, which are closely related to holothurians and echinoids ( Reich 2010a; Smith and Reich 2013; Rahman et al. 2019), are exclusively benthic and were presumably active predators using their lantern and teeth to capture small prey ( Haude 2004; Smith 2004a).

Stratigraphic and geographic range.—Carnian, Upper Triassic; northern Italy (southern Alps, Cassian Formation).

Figures

Fig. 30. Echinoderm plates, ossicles, and elements from Misurina Landslide, northern Italy, Cassian Formation; Carnian, Upper Triassic. A. PZO 12765, isocrinid? (sediment encrusted) columnal. B. PZO 12878, asteroid?/asterozoan spine. C, D, H. Ophiuroids. C. PZO 12879, lateral arm plate, external view, showing the articulation for the attachment of spines.D. PZO 12880, arm vertebra, distal view, showing the muscle attachment area. E. PZO 12885, part of ambulacrum of unknown cidaroid? species. H. PZO 12881, distal lateral arm plate, in external view. F. PZO 11827, ophiocistioid goniodont Linguaserra triassica Reich in Reich et al., 2018, abaxial face, in outer view. G. Pronechinus? sp., PZO 12777, ambulacral plate. I. PZO 12884, broken hollow cidaroid? spine fragment, showing the microstructure at the inner side of the cylinder.J, L, M.Ambulacral plates of Pronechinus? sp. with slightly developed peripodial rim surrounding pore pairs (J, PZO 12780; L, PZO 12778; M, PZO 12779). K, N. Cidaroid? spines (partially broken) of unknown species (K, PZO 12882; N, PZO 12883).