HETEROSALENIA (ECHINODERMATA: ECHINOIDEA) FROM THE CRETACEOUS IN MEXICO

1. HETEROSALENIA
(ECHINODERMATA:
ECHINOIDEA) FROM THE
CRETACEOUS IN MEXICO
Instituto De Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de
México, México.
Dirección General De Repositorios Universitarios, Universidad Nacional Autónoma
de México, Ciudad de México, México.
Centro Universitario De Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de
Guadalajara. Zapopan, México.
A. Martínez-Melo*, G. M. Guerrero-Correa, C. M. Galván-Villa, J. Alvarado-Ortega.
*a.mtz.melo@gmail.com

2. In Mexico, Heterosalenia was
known by the single report of H.
tlaxiacensis from the Jurassic of
Oaxaca state.
Recently, a new specimen of
the genus was collected in the
Cretaceous Lagerstätten of the
Tlayua Quarry, Puebla state. H. tlaxiacensis, Oaxaca (Jurassic).
Heterosalenia sp., Fm
Tlayúa (Albian), Puebla.

3. Periproct displaced
laterally from the
anterior-posterior axis
towards ocular I; ocular
plate I insert.
Apical disc with indented
sutures and prominent
sutural pits which house
tubercles.
Distinct ring of small
tubercles along the inner
margins of genital plates
bounding the periproct.
Ambulacral plating
trigeminate adorally and
trigeminate or
unigeminate aborally.
Interambulacral tubercles
perforate and crenulate,
oral interambulacral
tubercles and all
ambulacral tubercles
imperforate.
Suranal plate
incorporated into disc.
GENUS HETEROSALENIA

4. Type species H. martini Cotteau, 1861
H. alloiteau Zoeke, 1952
H. brocki Kier, 1972
H. corallina Dames, 1872
H. dakhlensis El Qot, 2010
H. dhrumaensis Kier, 1972
H. occidentalis Hawkins, 1923
PHYLUM ECHINODERMATA Bruguiere, 1791
CLASS ECHINOIDEA Leske, 1778
ORDER SALENIOIDA Delage & Herouard, 1903
FAMILY Saleniidae L. Agassiz, 1838
GENUS Heterosalenia Cotteau, 1861
H. ornata Kier, 1972
H. ottmeri (Dames, 1972)
H. paquieri Savin, 1902
H. quadrimiliaris Currie
H. suatensis Weber, 1934
H. tlaxiacensis Buitrón, 1970
Heterosalenia sp.

5. SMITH AND KROH (2011):
“this genus can be separated into two species groups, the Jurassic group, characterized by
having ambulacral plating simple (unigeminate) adapically, and the Cretaceous group,
with trigeminate platting throughout”, suggesting to erect a new genus for the Jurassic
species.
A. unigeminate = Jurassic B. trigeminate = Cretaceous

6. HETEROSALENIA IN THE WORLD

7. Heterosalenia
sp.
Jurassic-like

8. Tlayúa Fm is Cretaceous
(Albian); there are many
papers about the
paleoenvironment and the
paleofauna of the locality
Alvarado-Ortega, J., Than-Marchese, B. A., & Melgarejo-Damián, M. P. (2020). On the Albian
occurrence of Armigatus (Teleostei, Clupeomorpha) in America, a new species from the Tlayúa
Lagerstätte, Mexico. Palaeontologia Electronica, 23(3), a52.

9. Heterosalenia in Mexico
Heterosalenia sp. H. tlaxiacensis

10. Heterosalenia in LATAM
Heterosalenia sp. H. tlaxiacensis H. occidentalis
Albian, Puebla, Mex. Oxfordian-Maestrichtian, Oax, Mex. Late Cretaceous, Jamaica.

11. What is next?
Is it a species already known?
Perform a phylogenetic analysis including
unigeminate/trigeminate plates.
Analyze the paleobiogeographic
patterns of the genus.

12. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
AMM was supported by the CONACYT-EPE 177483 fellowship.
This work is supported by the UNAM DGAPA-PAPIIT Project
IN209017 ′′ Vertebrados Marinos del Mesozoico and Cenozoico de
México”.

13. a.mtz.melo@gmail.com
Thank you.