The pourtalesiids (Pourtalesiidae) are a

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

of irregular

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 that live in the deep sea. They are secondarily bilateral-symmetrical and like other representatives of the taxon

Holasteroida Holasteroida is an order of irregular sea urchins. Characteristics These irregular sea urchins are characterized by a particularly marked bilateral symmetry, including for the apical system, which is highly elongated. In some contemporary ab ...

they lack the lantern of Aristotle, which is typical for many other sea urchins. The genus ''

Pourtalesia ''Pourtalesia'' is a genus of the family Pourtalesiidae which belongs to the irregular (bilaterally symmetrical) sea urchins. The animals measure 5–6 cm in length and live in the abyssal zone of the Atlantic, Pacific, Indopacific and An ...

'' was named after Louis-François de Pourtalès who first collected these animals while dredging at a depth of 600 m. The family is known already from the

Upper Cretaceous The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''creta'', the ...

(

Maastrichtian The Maastrichtian () is, in the ICS geologic timescale, the latest age (uppermost stage) of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or Upper Cretaceous Series, the Cretaceous Period or System, and of the Mesozoic Era or Erathem. It spanned the interval from ...

) and is distributed worldwide.

Species and Genera

Currently, there are 10 genera with 28 extant and 5 extinct species described. * genus '' Ceratophysa'' Pomel, 1883 ** ''

Ceratophysa ceratopyga ''Ceratophysa ceratopyga'' is a species of sea urchins of the Family Pourtalesiidae. Their armour is covered with spines. Ceratophysa ceratopyga was first scientifically described in 1879 by Alexander Emanuel Agassiz.Kroh, A. (2010). ''Ceratophys ...

'' ( A. Agassiz, 1879) ** ''

Ceratophysa rosea ''Ceratophysa rosea'' is a species of sea urchins of the Family Pourtalesiidae. Their armour is covered with spines. Ceratophysa rosea was first scientifically described in 1879 by Alexander Emanuel Agassiz.Kroh, A. (2010). ''Ceratophysa rosea'' ...

'' ( A. Agassiz, 1879) * genus '' Cystocrepis'' Mortensen, 1907 **'' Cystocrepis setigera'' ( A. Agassiz, 1898) * genus '' Echinocrepis'' A. Agassiz, 1879 **'' Echinocrepis cuneata'' A. Agassiz, 1879 ** '' Echinocrepis rostrata'' Mironov, 1973 * genus '' Echinosigra'' Mortensen, 1907 **'' Echinosigra (Echinogutta) amphora'' Mironov, 1974 ** '' Echinosigra (Echinogutta) antarctica'' Mironov, 1974 ** '' Echinosigra (Echinogutta) fabrefacta'' Mironov, 1974 ** '' Echinosigra (Echinogutta) valvaedentata'' Mironov, 1974 ** '' Echinosigra (Echinosigra) mortensi'' Mironov, 1974 ** '' Echinosigra (Echinosigra) phiale'' (Thomson, 1873) ** '' Echinosigra (Echinosigra) porrecta'' Mironov, 1974 ** '' Echinosigra (Echinosigra) vityazi'' Mironov, 1997 * genus '' Galeaster'' Seunes, 1889 † **'' Galeaster carinatus'' Ravn, 1927 † ** '' Galeaster dagestanensis'' Poslavskaya & Moskvin, 1960 † ** '' Galeaster minor'' Poslavskaya, in Moskvin & Poslavskaya, 1949 † ** '' Galeaster muntshiensis'' Tzaghareli, 1949 † ** '' Galeaster sumbaricus'' Poslavskaya, in Moskvin & Poslavskaya, 1949 † * genus '' Helgocystis'' Mortensen, 1907 **'' Helgocystis carinata'' ( A. Agassiz, 1879) * genus ''

'' A. Agassiz, 1869 **'' Pourtalesia alcocki'' Koehler, 1914 ** '' Pourtalesia aurorae'' Koehler, 1926 ** '' Pourtalesia debilis'' Koehler, 1926 ** '' Pourtalesia heptneri'' Mironov, 1978 ** '' Pourtalesia hispida'' A. Agassiz, 1897 ** '' Pourtalesia jeffreysi'' Thomson, 1873 ** '' Pourtalesia laguncula'' A. Agassiz, 1879 ** '' Pourtalesia miranda'' A. Agassiz, 1869 ** '' Pourtalesia tanneri'' A. Agassiz, 1898 ** '' Pourtalesia thomsoni'' Mironov, 1976 ** '' Pourtalesia vinogradovae'' Mironov, 1995 * genus '' Rictocystis'' Mironov, 1996 **'' Rictocystis jensenae'' Mironov, 1996 * genus '' Solenocystis'' Mironov, 2008 **'' Solenocystis imitans'' Mironov, 2008 * genus '' Spatagocystis'' A. Agassiz, 1879 **'' Spatagocystis challengeri'' A. Agassiz, 1879

Sources

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3471023 Holasteroida Echinoderm families Taxa named by Alexander Agassiz