Crinoid

Halocrinites minor

• Devonian
• Laskowa Góra Beds
• Laskowa Góra Quarry, Kielce area, Holy Cross Mountains, Poland

Size: 3 cm crown

Formerly known as Cupressocrinus abbreviatus var. minor (Schultze 1866); Cupressocrinites sampelayoi (Breimer 1962); Abbreviatocrinites sampelayoi (Bohatý 2005).

Addendum: Jan Bohatý has confirmed this specimen as Halocrinites minor (Schultze 1866).

This crinoid is a most unusual member of the Cupressocrinitidae. It possesses a trimeric stem and its arms more-or-less always have just three brachials (including the thin ridge-like first primibrachial). The hyperpinnulated second and third primibrachials are incredibly large relative to the overall crown size, which makes this crinoid unique and recognizable even within its family. This specimen also exhibits a well-preserved multilamellar exoplacoid layer as is typical of the genus Halocrinites.