Goniopygus budaensis Whitney, 1916
Plate: GoBu-10
Series: Lower Cretaceous Group: Washita Formation: Pawpaw
Locale: Handley County: Tarrant Stage: Albian
Width: 10.8 mm Height: 5.8 mm
Specimen in photo: Collection of Frank Crane
Plate: GoBu-20
Series: Lower Cretaceous Group: Washita Formation: Pawpaw
Locale: Handley County: Tarrant Stage: Albian
Width: 14.1 mm
Specimen in photo: Collection of Frank Holterhoff
HOLOTYPE INFO:
Syntypes: UT 39034 (BEG 20542) - Non-vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory, University of Texas (Whitney, 1916)
Locality: Shoal Creek, Austin, Travis County, Texas (Whitney, 1916)
Stratigraphy: Upper Division of the Buda Limestone (Whitney, 1916)
SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY – TAXONOMY
Class: Echinoidea Leske, 1778
Subclass: Euechinoidea Bronn, 1860
Infraclass: Carinacea Kroh & Smith, 2010
Superorder: Echinacea Claus, 1876
Order: Arbacioida Gregory, 1900
Family: Acropeltidae Lambert, 1911
Genus: GONIOPYGUS L. Agassiz, 1838
Species: Goniopygus budaensis Whitney, 1916
TYPE SPECIES: Goniopygus major L. Agassiz, 1838
STRATIGRAPHICAL OCCURRENCE & DISTRIBUTION
Group: Washita
Formations: Pawpaw Formation ; Buda Limestone (Whitney, 1916)
Stratigraphic Units: Upper Cretaceous, Cenomanian (Buda); Lower Cretaceous, Albian (Pawpaw)
Counties: Tarrant ; Travis (Whitney, 1916)
DESCRIPTION
TOP: Width: 10.8 mm (GoBu-10); 14.1 mm (GoBu-20)
Top shape: Subconoidal; abactinal (aboral) surface elevated (Whitney, 1916)
BOTTOM: Bottom shape: Actinal (oral) surface flattened or concave (Whitney, 1916)
AMB: Amb width: Gradually widen from apical disk to ambitus, then decrease to peristome (Whitney, 1916)
Amb plating: Composed of 6–7 plates (Whitney, 1916)
Amb primary tubercles: Surmounted by tubercles increasing in size from apical system to ambitus, decreasing toward peristome (Whitney, 1916)
INTERAMB: Interamb width: Widest at apical disk; gradually decrease to peristome (Whitney, 1916)
Interamb plating: Composed of 6–7 plates (Whitney, 1916)
Interamb primary tubercles: Increase in size to ambitus, decreasing toward peristome (Whitney, 1916)
PORE PAIRS: Shape: Round (Whitney, 1916)
Arrangement: Uniserial, oblique (Whitney, 1916)
TUBERCLES: Primary tubercles: Mammillated (Whitney, 1916)
Primary Perforated: No Imperforate (Whitney, 1916)
Primary Crenulate: No Noncrenulate (Whitney, 1916)
Granules: Distributed about the bases of primary tubercles and over surface of plates (Whitney, 1916)
APICAL SYSTEM: Location: Prominent and elevated above the general surface (Whitney, 1916)
Plates: 5 genital, 5 ocular. Genitals polygonal (6-7 sides), anterior larger than posterior. Oculars variable, bounded by 3 long and 2 short sides (Whitney, 1916).
Ornamentation: Each genital plate ornamented with central depression containing a mamelon from which ridges radiate outward to edges. Oculars perforated toward outer ends (Whitney, 1916).
Genital pores: At the edges of the plates where they join the corona (Whitney, 1916)
PERIPROCT (ANUS): Shape & Size: Subquadrangular (Whitney, 1916)
Lip: Bordered by a raised collarette (Whitney, 1916)
PERISTOME (MOUTH): Size: Large; about 0.61 of diameter of test (Whitney, 1916)
Shape: Decagonal (Whitney, 1916)
Lip: Notched; ambulacral and interambulacral lips nearly equal and bilobate (Whitney, 1916)
SPINES: Shape: Primary spines paddle-shaped; concave on top with a ridge on both sides (thick at base, thinning towards top); tip rounded.
Dimensions: Twice as long as wide; length equal to radius of test.
Ornamentation: Many parallel small ridges run entire length of spine; ridges more pronounced on lower surface.
Arrangement: Largest spines at ambitus. Below primaries are rows of smaller spines of same shape. Above, spines are smaller, ends concave, slightly paddle-shaped, slightly concave on top with small ridges on sides .
SPECIMENS STUDIED & CONDITION: Specimens from Frank Crane and Frank Holterhoff collections studied . Whitney (1916) noted types were not well preserved except in smaller sizes.
ETYMOLOGY: Named for the Buda Limestone, the formation from which the type specimens were collected (Whitney, 1916).
REMARKS & COMPARISONS
Remarks: Whitney (1916) stated this species does not closely resemble any other described form of Goniopygus. The specimens provided by the user from Tarrant County (Pawpaw Formation) represent a slightly older stratigraphic occurrence (Albian) than the types (Buda, Cenomanian).
Remarks: Vadet, A. & Nicolleau, P., 2020 in Revision des Goniopygidae state that G. budaensis (Texas) is morphologically identical to the type species G. major (Europe) regarding the test. The only reason to keep G. budaensis as a separate valid species is because its spines are shorter and wider than those of G. major. Thus, if a fossil test of these species without spines attached (which is common), it may be impossible to scientifically distinguish them from their sister species without relying on geography or stratigraphic level.
Plate: GoBu-10
Series: Lower Cretaceous Group: Washita Formation: Pawpaw
Locale: Handley County: Tarrant Stage: Albian
Width: 10.8 mm Height: 5.8 mm
Specimen in photo: Collection of Frank Crane
Plate: GoBu-20
Series: Lower Cretaceous Group: Washita Formation: Pawpaw
Locale: Handley County: Tarrant Stage: Albian
Width: 14.1 mm
Specimen in photo: Collection of Frank Holterhoff
HOLOTYPE INFO:
Syntypes: UT 39034 (BEG 20542) - Non-vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory, University of Texas (Whitney, 1916)
Locality: Shoal Creek, Austin, Travis County, Texas (Whitney, 1916)
Stratigraphy: Upper Division of the Buda Limestone (Whitney, 1916)
SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY – TAXONOMY
Class: Echinoidea Leske, 1778
Subclass: Euechinoidea Bronn, 1860
Infraclass: Carinacea Kroh & Smith, 2010
Superorder: Echinacea Claus, 1876
Order: Arbacioida Gregory, 1900
Family: Acropeltidae Lambert, 1911
Genus: GONIOPYGUS L. Agassiz, 1838
Species: Goniopygus budaensis Whitney, 1916
TYPE SPECIES: Goniopygus major L. Agassiz, 1838
STRATIGRAPHICAL OCCURRENCE & DISTRIBUTION
Group: Washita
Formations: Pawpaw Formation ; Buda Limestone (Whitney, 1916)
Stratigraphic Units: Upper Cretaceous, Cenomanian (Buda); Lower Cretaceous, Albian (Pawpaw)
Counties: Tarrant ; Travis (Whitney, 1916)
DESCRIPTION
TOP: Width: 10.8 mm (GoBu-10); 14.1 mm (GoBu-20)
Top shape: Subconoidal; abactinal (aboral) surface elevated (Whitney, 1916)
BOTTOM: Bottom shape: Actinal (oral) surface flattened or concave (Whitney, 1916)
AMB: Amb width: Gradually widen from apical disk to ambitus, then decrease to peristome (Whitney, 1916)
Amb plating: Composed of 6–7 plates (Whitney, 1916)
Amb primary tubercles: Surmounted by tubercles increasing in size from apical system to ambitus, decreasing toward peristome (Whitney, 1916)
INTERAMB: Interamb width: Widest at apical disk; gradually decrease to peristome (Whitney, 1916)
Interamb plating: Composed of 6–7 plates (Whitney, 1916)
Interamb primary tubercles: Increase in size to ambitus, decreasing toward peristome (Whitney, 1916)
PORE PAIRS: Shape: Round (Whitney, 1916)
Arrangement: Uniserial, oblique (Whitney, 1916)
TUBERCLES: Primary tubercles: Mammillated (Whitney, 1916)
Primary Perforated: No Imperforate (Whitney, 1916)
Primary Crenulate: No Noncrenulate (Whitney, 1916)
Granules: Distributed about the bases of primary tubercles and over surface of plates (Whitney, 1916)
APICAL SYSTEM: Location: Prominent and elevated above the general surface (Whitney, 1916)
Plates: 5 genital, 5 ocular. Genitals polygonal (6-7 sides), anterior larger than posterior. Oculars variable, bounded by 3 long and 2 short sides (Whitney, 1916).
Ornamentation: Each genital plate ornamented with central depression containing a mamelon from which ridges radiate outward to edges. Oculars perforated toward outer ends (Whitney, 1916).
Genital pores: At the edges of the plates where they join the corona (Whitney, 1916)
PERIPROCT (ANUS): Shape & Size: Subquadrangular (Whitney, 1916)
Lip: Bordered by a raised collarette (Whitney, 1916)
PERISTOME (MOUTH): Size: Large; about 0.61 of diameter of test (Whitney, 1916)
Shape: Decagonal (Whitney, 1916)
Lip: Notched; ambulacral and interambulacral lips nearly equal and bilobate (Whitney, 1916)
SPINES: Shape: Primary spines paddle-shaped; concave on top with a ridge on both sides (thick at base, thinning towards top); tip rounded.
Dimensions: Twice as long as wide; length equal to radius of test.
Ornamentation: Many parallel small ridges run entire length of spine; ridges more pronounced on lower surface.
Arrangement: Largest spines at ambitus. Below primaries are rows of smaller spines of same shape. Above, spines are smaller, ends concave, slightly paddle-shaped, slightly concave on top with small ridges on sides .
SPECIMENS STUDIED & CONDITION: Specimens from Frank Crane and Frank Holterhoff collections studied . Whitney (1916) noted types were not well preserved except in smaller sizes.
ETYMOLOGY: Named for the Buda Limestone, the formation from which the type specimens were collected (Whitney, 1916).
REMARKS & COMPARISONS
Remarks: Whitney (1916) stated this species does not closely resemble any other described form of Goniopygus. The specimens provided by the user from Tarrant County (Pawpaw Formation) represent a slightly older stratigraphic occurrence (Albian) than the types (Buda, Cenomanian).
Remarks: Vadet, A. & Nicolleau, P., 2020 in Revision des Goniopygidae state that G. budaensis (Texas) is morphologically identical to the type species G. major (Europe) regarding the test. The only reason to keep G. budaensis as a separate valid species is because its spines are shorter and wider than those of G. major. Thus, if a fossil test of these species without spines attached (which is common), it may be impossible to scientifically distinguish them from their sister species without relying on geography or stratigraphic level.
