Topic
Apiocrinites
About: Apiocrinites is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 6 publications have been published within this topic receiving 106 citations.
Papers
TL;DR: The relationship of epibionts to the Jurassic crinoids thus ranged from simple utilization of dead hard substrate to probable opportunistic commensalism in forms that colonized the live upright stems, as in some oysters, through host-specific parasitism in the case of Tremichnus.
Abstract: Columns of the articulate crinoids Millericrinus and Apiocrinites from the Upper Jurassic (Upper Callovian) Zohar and Matmor formations of the Negev Desert of Israel display abundant encrusting organisms of about ten species, as well as diverse trace fossils produced by endobionts. Pluricolumnals were colonized by epi- and endobiontic organisms both during life and post-mortem. Skeletonized encrusting organisms include abundant ostreid bivalves (which evidently colonized both live and dead crinoid columnals), two types of serpulid worms, encrusting foraminifera, three species of bryozoans, and small encrusting sclerosponges. Several types of borings are present: Trypanites (possibly produced by sipunculids), Gastrochaenolites (crypts of boring lithophagid bivalves), elliptical barnacle? borings, and channel-like annelid? borings. In addition, approximately 16% of the pluricolumnals display circular parabolic embedment pits assignable to the ichnogenus Tremichnus. They are associated with substantial deformation of the containing columnals and were probably the work of host-specific ectoparasitic organisms. Discovery of Tremichnus on Jurassic crinoids extends the range of this trace by almost 100 million years, providing evidence for one of the longest-ranging host-parasite interactions documented thus far (over 200 million years). The relationship of epibionts to the Jurassic crinoids thus ranged from simple utilization of dead hard substrate to probable opportunistic commensalism in forms that colonized the live upright stems, as in some oysters, through host-specific parasitism in the case of Tremichnus.
49 citations
TL;DR: Applinocrinus cretacea (Bather) is known from the upper Senonian of England, North America and the West Indies, although Caribbean specimens have not been figured previously as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Jamaica has the best-known fauna of fossil crinoids of the Antillean islands. Two Cretaceous species have been reexamined on the basis of new material. Lower Cretaceous Apiocrinites sp., previously referred to Austinocrinus n. sp. and first documented from a short pluricolumnal, is now known from brachials and further fragments of column. This is the first millericrinid, and only the second non-isocrinid stalked crinoid, to be identified from the Jamaican and Antillean fossil record. Other ossicles may be derived from the cirri of a comatulid. Applinocrinus cretacea (Bather) is well known from the upper Senonian of England, North America and the West Indies, although Caribbean specimens have not been figured previously. Functional interpretations of the mode of life of Applinocrinus suggest that it was a benthic crinoid, presumably with arms. It lived embedded in the sediment.
22 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the isocrinids, cyrtocrinids and roveacrinids were already known from the Valanginian of the southernmost Tethyan regions of Poland (Pieniny Klippen Belt and Tatra Mountains).
Abstract: Valanginian strata in central epicratonic Poland have recently yielded crinoids, not previously recorded from the area. The fauna comprises isocrinids (Balanocrinus subteres, B. gillieroni, “Isocrinus?” lissajouxi), millericrinids (Apiocrinites sp.) and comatulids (Comatulida indet.). For comparison, a few samples of isocrinids from Valanginian strata of Hungary (Tethyan province) were also analysed. The isocrinids, cyrtocrinids and roveacrinids (sensu Rasmussen 1978 inclusive of Saccocoma sp.) were already known from the Valanginian of the southernmost Tethyan regions of Poland (Pieniny Klippen Belt and Tatra Mountains). The current study demonstrates their occurrence in central epicratonic Poland, and suggests that many Jurassic to Cretaceous stalked crinoid taxa (mainly isocrinids) predominated in the shallow-water settings of this area. Thus, the hypothesis of migration (at least from mid-Cretaceous onwards) to deep-water areas, as a response to an increase of the number of predators during the Mesozoic marine revolution, seems not to be universally applicable.
21 citations
TL;DR: A new species of Apiocrinites is described from the Matmor Formation of Hamakhtesh Hagadol, southern Israel and is considered to have caused significant harm to the crinoid stems, which were consequently deformed and likely lost flexibility.
Abstract: A new species of Apiocrinites is described from the Matmor Formation (Middle Jurassic, upper Callovian) of Hamakhtesh Hagadol, southern Israel. Apiocrinites feldmani n. sp. is a small species associated with the larger A. negevensis in a calcareous sponge and coral patch reef community. During life the columns of A. feldmani were commonly and preferentially infested with a soft-bodied parasite that grew with the crinoid and became embedded in its skeleton. These parasites embedded at the articulation between columnals, forcing the columnals to grow around them and producing with time a conical pit surrounded by swollen stereom. If the parasite died while the crinoid was still growing, the conical pit was roofed over by continued growth of columnals, resulting in a swelling with no external opening. Because the crinoids invested energy in forming extra skeleton around these parasites and because the crinoid stems were consequently deformed and likely lost flexibility, we consider these parasites to have caused significant harm. Curiously, these parasites apparently did not infect the larger and more common contemporaneous A. negevensis that lived in the same community.
15 citations
1 Jan 2010
TL;DR: The Barremian of the Serre de Bleyton has yielded many disarticulated but well-preserved elements of a diverse crinoid fauna of at least six species, dominated by comatulids (three species) and isocrinids (two species) as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The Barremian of the Serre de Bleyton has yielded many disarticulated but well-preserved elements of a diverse crinoid fauna of at least six species, dominated by comatulids (three species) and isocrinids (two species). The single apiocrinitid species is rare. Except for the large and wellknown comatulid Decameros ricordeanus d’Orbigny, 1850, with specimens similar to the subspecies or variety vagnasensis (de LO ri OL, 1888), five of the six species are new. However, only for three of them a new species name is introduced, Isocrinus? bleytonensis nov. spec., Comatulina moosleitneri nov. spec. and Semiometra barremiensis nov. spec. Two fairly rare species, Percevalicrinus sp. and Apiocrinites sp., are described in open nomenclature. This Barremian fauna fills a stratigraphic gap from which only few crinoids had so far been de scribed. Apart from some Hauterivian crinoids (mainly isocrinids), the stratigraphically nearest crinoid-rich (and especially comatulid-rich) horizons are the Valanginian of western Switzerland and southeastern France and especially the Aptian of southeastern France and Spain. The high percentage of new species is not surprising due to phylogenetic changes during the time span Valanginian – Aptian. Apart from these differences at species level, the crinoid fauna from the Serre de Bleyton fits well into the overall faunal composition known from Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous sites.
15 citations
Related Topics (5)
Performance Metrics
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2012 | 1 |
| 2010 | 1 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2007 | 1 |
| 1996 | 1 |