Articulated ophiocistioids are rare as fossils, enigmatic in terms of their phylogenetic position, and have been considered to be an exclusively Palaeozoic echinoderm group. Apart from articulated body fossils, the fossil record of Ophiocistioidea is otherwise dependent on isolated microfossils. However, it has been demonstrated that disarticulated jaw elements (goniodonts) of ophiocistioids can be diagnostic at genus and species level and can be used to fill gaps in the non‐articulated fossil record. The Late Triassic Cassian Formation of Italy is regarded as one of the most important strata of early Mesozoic invertebrates worldwide. A fossil assemblage from a locality near Misurina, South Tyrol, yielded various echinoderms, including a stem group echinoid representative and a new ophiocistioid, Linguaserra triassica sp. nov. The new taxon is described and placed within linguaserrid ophiocistioids. The evolutionary history of the group is briefly discussed in relation to other taxa of the Ophiocistioidea and Echinoidea. Linguaserra triassica not only represents the first documented occurrence of this ‘Palaeozoic’ echinoderm class from Mesozoic strata but also establishes the stratigraphically youngest record of goniodonts or ophiocistioid teeth in the world.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.