The Echinoid Directory

• Test depressed to subglobular.
• Apical disc small and circular, less than one-quarter test diameter; plating generally lost; probably monocyclic (one specimen retaining two exsert oculars and a genital plate). Periproct plating unknown.
• Ambulacra straight. Pore-pairs biserial adapically, generally becoming almost uniserial at ambitus and subambitally and in some species expanding adorally again into phyllodes. Plate compounding in diadematid style adorally where plating is trigeminate (the middle element the largest). At ambitus and subambitally plating quadrigeminate with demiplates. Adapically plating trigeminate but with alternating large and occluded triads without primary tubercle. Primary tubercle to each pair of large elements extending to perradius.
• Interambulacral plates considerably wider than tall; a small central primary tubercle plus flanking adradial and interradial tubercles almost as large. Tubercles very small compared to plate height and scattered secondaries cover remainder of plate.
• Ambulacral tubercles similar in size to interambulacral tubercles at ambitus; perforate and crenulate.
• Peristome small and slightly depressed; circular with small but well defined buccal notches with thickened lip.
• Spines and lantern unknown.

Cretaceous (Albian-Cenomanian), southern Europe, North Africa, Middle East

Pedinopsis meridanensis Cotteau, 1859, p. 176, by monotypy.  A specimen that appears to be the same as that illustrated by Cotteau (1864, Paleontologie francaise, pl. 1125) was found in the Cotteau collection and is presumed to be a syntype (illustrated above).  However, this is clearly labeled as Cenomanian, not Neocomian, as in the text.

• P. meridanensis Cotteau, 1859; ?Cenomanian, France
• P. desori (Coquand, 1862); Cenomanian, North Africa.
• P. humilis Fourtau, 1921; Cenomanian, Egypt and Middle East
• P. sphaerica Smith, Simmons & Racey, 1990; Cenomanian, Oman
• P. (Sinaeopsis) sinaei (Desor, in Agassiz & Desor, 1847); Cenomanian, Middle East, North Africa and Arabian Peninsula

Euechinoidea, Echinacea, unnamed family (pedinopsids).

Close to Leptarbacia in ambulacral structure but with biserial pore-pairs above the ambitus.

Cotteau, G. 1863. Echinides fossiles des Pyrenees. Congr. Scient. France, Bordeaux, p. 165-320, 9 pls.

Cotteau, G. 1863-1867. Paleontologie francaise. Terrain CretaceTome 7. Echinides.  V. Masson, Paris.

Smith, A. B., Simmons, M. D. & Racey, A. 1990. Cenomanian echinoids, larger foraminifera and calcareous algae from the Natih Formation, central Oman Mountains. Cretaceous Research 11, 29-69.