No abstract

It has long been assumed that photosensitivity in echinoderms is mainly related to diffuse photoreception mediated by photosensitive regions embedded within the dermis. Recent studies, however, have shown that some extant echinoderms may also display modified ossicles with microlenses acting as sophisticated photosensory organs. Thanks to their remarkable properties, these calcitic microlenses serve as an inspiration for scientists across various disciplines among which bio-inspired engineering. However, the evolutionary origins of these microlenses remain obscure. Here we provide microstructural evidence showing that analogous spherical calcitic lenses had been acquired in some brittle stars and starfish of Poland by the Late Cretaceous (Campanian, ~79 Ma). Specimens from Poland described here had a highly developed visual system similar to that of modern forms. We suggest that such an optimization of echinoderm skeletons for both mechanical and optical purposes reflects escalation-related adaptation to increased predation pressure during the so-called Mesozoic Marine Revolution.

Following the end‐Permian biotic crisis which led to the near extinction of crinoids, this echinoderm class rebounded rapidly during the Mesozoic, resulting in forms with important morphological and behavioural novelties. However, quantitative patterns of crinoid diversity during the Mesozoic remain largely unexplored. Here, we report results of analyses of the evolutionary dynamics of post‐Palaeozoic crinoid genera spanning a time interval between 250 and 70 Myr. We show that crinoids reached their Mesozoic peak of genus‐level richness during the Late Jurassic. We also document a major reorganization of different ecological crinoid groups in the Mesozoic. More specifically, the diversity of sessile forms generally increased towards the mid‐Mesozoic but decreased significantly starting in the Cretaceous, whereas the number of motile crinoid genera increased linearly during the Mesozoic. The possible role of biotic and abiotic factors in crinoid evolution is discussed.

Although crinoids appear not to have been involved in the great change in diversity at the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary extinction event, it has been assumed that representatives of order Roveacrinida became extinct during this time. Well-preserved fossils from the Danian (early Paleocene) of Poland demonstrate that these crinoids survived into the earliest Cenozoic. This fi nd merits the qualifi cation of this order as a "dead clade walking."

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Echinoderms have long been considered to be one of the animal phyla that is strictly marine. However, there is growing evidence that some recent species may live in either brackish or hypersaline environments. Surprisingly, discoveries of fossil echinoderms in non-(open)marine paleoenvironments are lacking. In Wojkowice Quarry (Southern Poland), sediments of lowermost part of the Middle Triassic are exposed. In limestone layer with cellular structures and pseudomorphs after gypsum, two dense accumulations of articulated ophiuroids (Aspiduriella similis (Eck)) were documented. The sediments with ophiuroids were formed in environment of increased salinity waters as suggested by paleontological, sedimentological, petrographical and geochemical data. Discovery of Triassic hypersaline ophiuroids invalidates the paleontological assumption that fossil echinoderms are indicators of fully marine conditions. Thus caution needs to be taken when using fossil echinoderms in paleoenvironmental reconstructions.

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A systematic account of crinoids from the Upper Coniacian–Lower Campanian of the southwestern margin of the Holy Cross Mountains in southern Poland is presented. Seven crinoid taxa [Marsupites testudinarius (von Schlotheim), Bourgueticrinus ellipticus (Miller), Bourgueticrinus sp., I.? granosus Valette, Isocrinus? sp., Nielsenicrinus carinatus Roemer and Austinocrinus bicoronatus (von Hagenow)] are described and illustrated. The new material from Poland extends down the stratigraphic range of Austinocrinus bicoronatus to the Lower Campanian. Morphometric data support that Bourgueticrinus ellipicus and B.? suedicus are conspecific. Taphonomy and paleoecology of recorded crinoid assemblages are discussed. Phylogeny of Cretaceous bourgueticrinids is also revisited.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s12542-016-0313-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.