Echinodermata

An echinoderm is any animal of the phylum Echinodermata, which includes starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, sand dollars and sea cucumbers, as well as the sessile sea lilies or "stone lilies". While bilaterally symmetrical as larvae, as adults echinoderms are recognisable by their usually five-pointed radial symmetry, and are found on the sea bed at every ocean depth from the intertidal zone to the abyssal zone. The phylum contains about 7,600 living species, making it the second-largest group of deuterostomes after the chordates, as well as the largest marine-only phylum. The first definitive echinoderms appeared near the start of the Cambrian.

Echinodermata

François Michonneau Hectonichus Philippe Bourjon Hectonichus Philippe Bourjon Bruce Martin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikipedia/Commons. May be a photograph of a specimen, or an artist’s reconstruction — an interpretation of a skeleton, since colour and soft tissue are almost never preserved.

On record

Recorded, not inferred
Sits inside
AmbulacrariaPBDB
Environment
marinePBDB

Time the record covers

At least 511 million years on record.

The record covers at least 512.1 Mya to 129 ka. No occurrence read is dated outside 538.8 Mya to 0 Mya.

Cambrian — about 95 of 12000 occurrencesCambrianOrdovician — about 1649 of 12000 occurrencesSilurian — about 1778 of 12000 occurrencesDevonian — about 1437 of 12000 occurrencesDevonianCarboniferous — about 2546 of 12000 occurrencesCarboniferousPermian — about 513 of 12000 occurrencesPermianEarly Triassic — about 31 of 12000 occurrencesMiddle Triassic — about 195 of 12000 occurrencesLate Triassic — about 107 of 12000 occurrencesEarly Jurassic — about 243 of 12000 occurrencesMiddle Jurassic — about 360 of 12000 occurrencesLate Jurassic — about 317 of 12000 occurrencesEarly Cretaceous — about 525 of 12000 occurrencesLate Cretaceous — about 1134 of 12000 occurrencesPaleocene — about 164 of 12000 occurrencesEocene — about 580 of 12000 occurrencesOligocene — about 59 of 12000 occurrencesMiocene — about 168 of 12000 occurrencesPliocene — about 54 of 12000 occurrencesPleistocene — about 46 of 12000 occurrences550–531 Mya — about 0.6 occurrences531–513 Mya — about 5 occurrences513–495 Mya — about 48 occurrences495–476 Mya — about 78 occurrences476–458 Mya — about 208 occurrences458–440 Mya — about 1538 occurrences440–421 Mya — about 1569 occurrences421–403 Mya — about 565 occurrences403–385 Mya — about 477 occurrences385–366 Mya — about 348 occurrences366–348 Mya — about 352 occurrences348–330 Mya — about 1737 occurrences330–311 Mya — about 263 occurrences311–293 Mya — about 398 occurrences293–275 Mya — about 87 occurrences275–256 Mya — about 296 occurrences256–238 Mya — about 265 occurrences238–220 Mya — about 45 occurrences220–202 Mya — about 72 occurrences202–183 Mya — about 200 occurrences183–165 Mya — about 291 occurrences165–147 Mya — about 402 occurrences147–128 Mya — about 191 occurrences128–110 Mya — about 305 occurrences110–92 Mya — about 169 occurrences92–73 Mya — about 319 occurrences73–55 Mya — about 869 occurrences55–37 Mya — about 481 occurrences37–18 Mya — about 199 occurrences18–0 Mya — about 223 occurrences512.1 Mya129 ka550 Mya0 Mya

12,000+ occurrences of Echinodermata on record. The Paleobiology Database records this as a living group. Bar height is expected occurrences, not a count: each fossil is spread across the span it is dated to, so a tall narrow bar means tight dating and a low wide one means loose.

When

12,000 occurrences read

These are dates about fossils, not the animal: the record can only begin after it arose and end before it died out, so either end may reach further. Shares are expected occurrences: a fossil dated to a span is counted partly in each period it straddles. The read hit its cap, so every figure above is a floor and the shares are of the occurrences read. More on what this infers.

Found in

at least 1084 formations

Edwardsville — 39.50°N, 86.50°WEdwardsville — 39.75°N, 86.67°WEdwardsville — 39.25°N, 86.33°WEdwardsville — 39.00°N, 86.25°WEdwardsville — 39.04°N, 86.50°WEdwardsville — 39.33°N, 86.67°WBangor Limestone — 34.00°N, 86.10°WBangor Limestone — 34.54°N, 88.00°WBangor Limestone — 34.45°N, 87.75°WBangor Limestone — 34.59°N, 87.63°WBangor Limestone — 34.52°N, 87.58°WMaastricht — 50.87°N, 5.68°EMaastricht — 50.87°N, 5.98°EMaastricht — 50.88°N, 5.93°EMaastricht — 50.83°N, 5.76°EMaastricht — 50.85°N, 5.70°EMaastricht — 50.85°N, 6.77°EMaastricht — 50.86°N, 5.79°EMuldraugh — 40.04°N, 86.87°WGulpen — 50.73°N, 5.63°EGulpen — 50.76°N, 5.66°EGulpen — 50.73°N, 5.67°EBromide — 34.00°N, 97.00°WBromide — 34.45°N, 97.17°WBromide — 34.50°N, 96.97°WBromide — 34.53°N, 96.67°WBromide — 34.07°N, 97.17°WBorden — 38.50°N, 85.92°WBorden — 38.04°N, 85.72°WBorden — 38.08°N, 85.71°WBorden — 38.13°N, 85.78°WBorden — 36.44°N, 88.06°WBorden — 37.70°N, 85.87°WScotch Grove — 42.17°N, 91.11°WScotch Grove — 42.00°N, 91.00°WScotch Grove — 40.00°N, 97.00°WScotch Grove — 42.15°N, 90.68°WScotch Grove — 42.00°N, 92.00°WScotch Grove — 41.88°N, 90.55°WScotch Grove — 42.00°N, 90.50°WScotch Grove — 41.77°N, 91.13°WScotch Grove — 41.92°N, 90.92°WScotch Grove — 42.12°N, 91.13°WScotch Grove — 42.48°N, 90.87°WScotch Grove — 41.85°N, 90.18°WScotch Grove — 42.10°N, 91.28°WRacine — 43.04°N, 87.91°WRacine — 43.05°N, 88.01°WRacine — 42.73°N, 87.78°WRacine — 42.88°N, 88.04°WRacine — 43.01°N, 88.38°WRacine — 42.00°N, 88.00°WRacine — 41.85°N, 87.65°WRacine — 41.65°N, 87.68°WCastle Hayne — 34.64°N, 77.65°WCastle Hayne — 34.37°N, 77.86°WCastle Hayne — 34.97°N, 78.05°WCastle Hayne — 34.44°N, 77.83°WCastle Hayne — 34.75°N, 77.43°WCastle Hayne — 35.36°N, 77.32°WCastle Hayne — 34.87°N, 78.05°WCastle Hayne — 34.66°N, 77.73°WCastle Hayne — 34.80°N, 78.02°WCastle Hayne — 35.01°N, 77.57°WCastle Hayne — 35.29°N, 77.29°WCastle Hayne — 34.92°N, 77.43°WCastle Hayne — 34.23°N, 77.94°WCastle Hayne — 34.30°N, 77.95°WCastle Hayne — 34.85°N, 77.70°WCastle Hayne — 34.64°N, 77.96°WCastle Hayne — 35.25°N, 77.44°WCastle Hayne — 35.01°N, 77.51°WDunleith — 42.02°N, 93.45°WDunleith — 37.07°N, 89.57°WDunleith — 42.00°N, 90.50°WDhruma — 24.23°N, 46.58°EDhruma — 24.89°N, 46.58°EDhruma — 23.30°N, 46.33°EDhruma — 23.20°N, 46.33°EDhruma — 23.08°N, 46.33°EDhruma — 22.62°N, 46.00°EDhruma — 22.53°N, 46.17°EDhruma — 25.33°N, 45.50°EDhruma — 25.50°N, 45.00°EDhruma — 23.80°N, 46.17°EDhruma — 23.97°N, 46.17°EDhruma — 22.50°N, 46.00°EDhruma — 21.88°N, 45.67°EDhruma — 22.83°N, 46.83°EDhruma — 22.17°N, 45.83°EDhruma — 21.12°N, 45.50°EDhruma — 24.75°N, 46.00°EDhruma — 24.75°N, 46.08°EDhruma — 25.05°N, 45.67°EDhruma — 25.17°N, 45.50°EQingyan — 26.33°N, 106.68°ELudlowville — 42.76°N, 78.65°WLudlowville — 42.72°N, 78.96°WLudlowville — 42.78°N, 78.86°WLudlowville — 42.85°N, 78.68°WLudlowville — 42.78°N, 78.79°WLudlowville — 42.88°N, 78.57°WLudlowville — 42.96°N, 78.13°WLudlowville — 42.83°N, 77.84°WLudlowville — 42.80°N, 77.27°WLudlowville — 42.78°N, 76.99°WLudlowville — 42.85°N, 78.37°WLudlowville — 42.87°N, 77.87°WHunsrück Slate — 49.89°N, 7.47°EHunsrück Slate — 49.83°N, 7.37°EGlen Dean Limestone — 36.87°N, 87.49°WGlen Dean Limestone — 37.48°N, 86.29°WGlen Dean Limestone — 38.37°N, 86.48°WGlen Dean Limestone — 38.25°N, 86.54°WGlen Dean Limestone — 38.50°N, 86.72°WGlen Dean Limestone — 38.40°N, 86.59°WGlen Dean Limestone — 38.24°N, 86.43°WGlen Dean Limestone — 38.17°N, 86.57°WGlen Dean Limestone — 38.10°N, 86.56°WGlen Dean Limestone — 38.23°N, 86.47°WGlen Dean Limestone — 37.87°N, 86.62°WGlen Dean Limestone — 37.83°N, 86.60°WGlen Dean Limestone — 37.65°N, 86.55°WGlen Dean Limestone — 38.89°N, 86.90°WGlen Dean Limestone — 36.94°N, 84.54°WWinchell — 31.50°N, 98.58°WWinchell — 33.03°N, 98.07°WGerster — 40.17°N, 114.83°WGerster — 40.42°N, 114.83°WGerster — 40.50°N, 114.83°WGerster — 40.50°N, 114.67°WGerster — 41.25°N, 114.33°WGerster — 40.08°N, 113.83°WGerster — 39.33°N, 113.67°WGerster — 39.50°N, 115.25°WGerster — 40.25°N, 115.17°WHenryhouse — 35.08°N, 98.24°WHenryhouse — 34.73°N, 96.63°WHenryhouse — 34.37°N, 97.00°WLaurel Limestone — 39.43°N, 85.63°WForaker Limestone — 39.85°N, 95.67°WForaker Limestone — 39.38°N, 96.31°WForaker Limestone — 39.27°N, 96.44°WForaker Limestone — 39.37°N, 95.88°WForaker Limestone — 39.34°N, 96.05°WForaker Limestone — 39.38°N, 96.40°WForaker Limestone — 39.07°N, 96.12°WForaker Limestone — 38.91°N, 96.07°WForaker Limestone — 38.37°N, 96.63°WForaker Limestone — 37.35°N, 96.48°WForaker Limestone — 37.09°N, 96.57°WForaker Limestone — 39.19°N, 96.57°WForaker Limestone — 39.14°N, 96.31°WForaker Limestone — 37.54°N, 96.48°WForaker Limestone — 39.92°N, 95.67°WForaker Limestone — 39.25°N, 96.19°WForaker Limestone — 38.72°N, 96.16°WForaker Limestone — 37.82°N, 96.46°WForaker Limestone — 37.65°N, 96.46°WForaker Limestone — 39.91°N, 95.91°WForaker Limestone — 37.25°N, 96.53°WForaker Limestone — 38.02°N, 96.28°WForaker Limestone — 38.81°N, 96.08°WSecond Abden Shale — 56.07°N, 3.17°WRochester Shale — 43.15°N, 77.62°WRochester Shale — 43.15°N, 77.06°WRochester Shale — 43.10°N, 79.06°WRochester Shale — 43.20°N, 77.53°WRochester Shale — 43.17°N, 78.68°WRochester Shale — 43.15°N, 77.72°WRochester Shale — 43.22°N, 76.82°WMaastricht — 50.79°N, 5.63°EMaastricht — 50.80°N, 5.67°E

Loading coastlines…

The named rock units Echinodermata has been recovered from, largest first. Drawn where the rock is now, not where it formed. The read hit its cap, so each count is a floor. 1,060 further formations hold fewer occurrences each and are not listed. 1,899 occurrences have no formation on record, which is common for older literature.

Found in the same rock

1,751 taxa

The Paleobiology Database records at least 641 sites for Echinodermata, and this reads 240 of them. The number is how many of those sites it was catalogued from too. The 24 sharing the most are listed.

This is not a list of everything alive at the time. It is only what has come out of the same ground as this animal and been written down.

Entered from

at least 898 references

Each of the 12,000 occurrences read was entered from one of these publications, ordered by how many each accounts for. This is not a search for papers mentioning the name. That read hit its cap, so each count is a floor. 886 further references are not listed. Entries link to doi.org where the Paleobiology Database holds an identifier, and to its own record where it does not. Relayed as the Paleobiology Database holds them, not checked against what they resolve to.

Media and terms

Media content2

Picture of Echinodermata

Credit
François Michonneau Hectonichus Philippe Bourjon Hectonichus Philippe Bourjon Bruce Martin
Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0
Commercial use
the licence allows it

3D model

Source
Sketchfab
Licence
CC0 Public Domain
Commercial use
the licence allows it

Smithsonian Open Access and MorphoSource were not reached for this taxon, so this list is what the others held rather than everything there is.

The description on this site

Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0

This is what the site found, which is not the same as what exists.

Keep going

What may have been alongside itAmbulacraria through timeThe world it lived on

Occurrence data from the Paleobiology Database, CC BY 4.0. Klein 1754