Diversity of Crinozoa (Echinodermata: Eocrinoidea, Blastoidea, Crinoidea) from the Paleozoic of Mexico

Abstract

Paleozoic outcrops in Mexico containing echinoderms are located to the north, center and south of the country, mainly in the states of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Hidalgo, Puebla, Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas. These rocks correspond to marine carbonates deposited in warm shallow environments, with an approximate age of 541 to 251 Ma. Also containing a varied and diverse biota made up of phylloid algae, foraminifera (fusulinids), coralline sponges, corals, bryozoans, brachiopods, mollusks, trilobites and echinoderms. In order to know the diversity of Crinozoa from the Paleozoic of Mexico, an analysis of the species documented for the country was carried out, with the objective of contributing to the knowledge of the biostratigraphy and paleogeography of Mexico. The methodology consisted of a detailed analysis of bibliographic sources with information on echinoderms from the Paleozoic of Mexico. Cambrian eocrinoids (Gogia, and Ubaghsicystis) are distributed mainly in Sonora. Crinoid plates from the Carboniferous and Permian, particularly morphospecies of the genera Cyclocaudex, Cyclocrista, Heterostelechus, Lamprosterigma, Mooreanteris, Pentagonopternix, Preptopremnum, and Pentaridica, are widely distributed throughout the country. Analysis of the Mississippian-Permian biota indicates that the cosmopolitan distribution of the fauna studied in this work is due to the connections between the seas of western North America and eastern Asia. The Late Permian benthic fauna of Sonora was widely dispersed in the Tethyan realm, which stretched from western North America to North Africa and Asia. The comprehensive study of Paleozoic marine stratigraphic successions and their biotic content provided information on faunal migrations regarding the Paleozoic carbonate facies. It also contributed to reconstructing the geographical, climatological, and ecological characteristics of the Paleozoic of Mexico.