Valettaster stipes Villier, 2010

Gale, Andrew Scott, 2021, Taxonomy and phylogeny of the ‘ football stars’ (Asteroidea, Sphaerasteridae), Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 19 (10), pp. 691-741 : 734

Valettaster stipes Villier, 2010

2010 Valettaster stipes Villier : 714, fig. 7, pl. 1p–r.

Diagnosis. Primary abactinal ossicles low, with irregular digitate outline. External surface flat, lacking ornament.

Types. The holotype is an abactinal ossicle, MPUP VILL026. Paratypes, MPUP VILL027-029, VILL049-051.

Occurrence. All are from the Barremian of Serre de Blayton, near Arnayon, France.

Remarks. Valettaster stipes resembles V. digitatus in the flattened form of the abactinal ossicles and the digitate margin, but differs in the smooth external surface, which in V. digitatus carries fine, closely spaced crater-like spine pits ( Fig. 22A–D, G, J ).

Figures

Figure 22. A–D, G, J, Valettaster digitatus (Quenstedt, 1858), abactinal ossicles, in external view (A, C, D, G, J) and lateral view (B) (GPIT/A5/50). E, Valettaster ocellatus (Forbes, 1848), abactinal ossicle, in external view (NHMUK EE 17696). F, I, Pouzaster pocknotata gen. et sp. nov., abactinal ossicles in external view (MHNML 2020.1.2, 1.3). H, K, Valettaster granulatus (Brunnich Nielsen, 1943), abactinal ossicles, external view (SNSB-BSGP 2020 XLV1, 2). L, Valettaster argus (Spencer, 1907), articulated group of abactinal ossicles (NHMUK EE 17637f). M, N, Valettaster thuyi sp. nov., holotype, abactinal ossicle in external and lateral views, respectively (MHNML 2020.1.1). Provenance: A–D, G, J are from the Oxfordian of Oerlingen, south Germany. B is from the Santonian of East Kent, UK. F, I are from the serpentinus ammonite Zone, Toarcian at Fougerolles, France. H, K are from the lower Maastrichtian of R¨ugen, Germany. M, N are from the bifrons ammonite Zone, Toarcian, Fougerolles, France. L is from the coranguinum Zone, Santonian, Broadstairs, Kent, UK. Scale bars: A–E, G, H, J, K = 5 mm; F, I, L = 0.5mm; M, N = 0.2 mm.