''Hemipneustes'' is an extinct genus of
sea urchin
Sea urchins () are spiny, globular echinoderms in the class Echinoidea. About 950 species of sea urchin live on the seabed of every ocean and inhabit every depth zone from the intertidal seashore down to . The spherical, hard shells (tests) of ...
s belonging to the family
Holasteridae
Holasteridae is an extinct family of sea urchins.
These semi-infaunal detritivores lived during the Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final perio ...
.
These semi-infaunal detritivores lived during the Upper
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of th ...
period, from 70.6 to 66.043 million years ago. Fossils of this genus have been found in the sediments of Netherlands, Belgium, Bulgaria, India, Iran, the Netherlands, Oman and Spain.
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Description
''Hemipneustes'' is a quite large sea urchin
Sea urchins () are spiny, globular echinoderms in the class Echinoidea. About 950 species of sea urchin live on the seabed of every ocean and inhabit every depth zone from the intertidal seashore down to . The spherical, hard shells (tests) of ...
with a high-domed profile and a well-defined anterior sulcus.[Natural History Museum]
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List of species
* '' Hemipneustes africanus'' Deshayes In Agassiz & Desor, 1847
* '' Hemipneustes arabicus'' Ali, 1989 †
* '' Hemipneustes arnaudi'' Cotteau, 1892
* '' Hemipneustes compressus'' Noetling, 1897 †
* '' Hemipneustes cotteaui'' Lambert in Peron, 1887 †
* '' Hemipneustes delettrei'' Peron & Gauthier †
* '' Hemipneustes leymeriei'' Hébert, 1875 †
* '' Hemipneustes nicklesi'' Vidal, 1921 †
* '' Hemipneustes oculatus'' Cotteau, 1892 †
* '' Hemipneustes perrieri'' Cottreau, 1935 †
* '' Hemipneustes persicus'' Cotteau & Gauthier, 1895 †
* '' Hemipneustes pyrenaicus'' Hebert, 1875 †
* '' Hemipneustes sardanyolae'' Vidal, 1921 †
* '' Hemipneustes striatoradiatus'' (Leske, 1778) †
* '' Hemipneustes zuffardii'' Checchia-Rispoli, 1921 †
Hemipneustes leymeriei MHNT.jpg, '' Hemipneustes leymeriei''
MHNT - Hemipneustes pyrenaicus - 1.jpg, '' Hemipneustes pyrenaicus''
References
WoRMS
Holasteroida
Cretaceous echinoderms
Cretaceous echinoderms of Europe
{{paleo-echinoidea-stub