Ophiuroidea - Oegophiurida - Protasteridae
Alternative combinations: Palaeaster hirudo, Uraster hirudo, Urasterella hirudo
Synonym: Taeniaster meafordensis Foerste 1914
Full reference: E. Forbes. 1848. On the Asteriadae found fossil in British strata. Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain, and of the Museum of Practical Geology in London 2(2):457-482
Belongs to Urosoma according to W. K. Spencer 1934
See also Blake and Koniecki 2020, Foerste 1914, Forbes 1848, Forbes 1849, Lewis et al. 2007, McCoy 1851, Murchison 1854, Owen 1965, Salter 1857, Schuchert 1915, Spencer 1930 and Wright 1863
Sister taxa: Protaster bicatenulata, Protaster groomi, Protaster piltonensis, Protaster salteri, Protaster sedgwickii, Protaster stellifer, Protaster ubaghsi, Bohemura granifer, Bohemura jahni
Ecology: slow-moving low-level epifaunal detritivore-suspension feeder
Distribution:
• Silurian of the United Kingdom (1 collection)
• Ordovician of Canada (1: Ontario)
Total: 2 collections each including a single occurrence
Specimen images are retrieved through the ePANDDA API.
Click image to enlarge. Click to access iDigBio record.