Asteroid

Promopaleaster pricei

• Ordovician
• Martinsburg Formation
• Swatara Gap, Pennsylvania, USA

Size: 4.5 across the arms

This is a beautiful starfish from the famed Martinsburg Formation of Swatara Gap. According to Steve Hess, a long time collector of this locality, P. pricei is one of the rarest starfish and rarest fossils period from Swatara Gap, with only a handful of examples known including this one.

Addendum: According to Dean Ruocco, this species was named after the late Dr. Price of the North Museum of Nature and Science in Pennsylvania, USA. This specimen was collected by John Coolidge, and its counterpart resides in the Yale Peabody Museum.