Salenia stenzeli Ikins, 1940
Plate: SaSt-10
Series: Upper Cretaceous Group: Washita Formation: Grayson
Locale: El Paso County: El Paso Stage: Albian
Length: 14.5 mm Height: 9.1 mm
Specimen in photos: BEG 40550 Holotype
Collector: (Not specified)
Repository: Non-vertebrate Paleo. Lab., Univ. of Texas
HOLOTYPE INFO:
Holotype: UT 40550 (BEG 40550) (Ikins, 1940).
Locality: Cerro de Cristo Rey mountain, opposite the smelter, El Paso, Texas.
Stratigraphy: Exogyra whitneyi shale of the Grayson Formation, Washita Group.
SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY – TAXONOMY
Class: Echinoidea Leske, 1778
Subclass: Euechinoidea Bronn, 1860
Infraclass: Carinacea Kroh & Smith, 2010
Superorder: Calycina Gregory, 1900
Order: Salenioida Delage & Hérouard, 1903
Family: Saleniidae L. Agassiz, 1838
Genus: SALENIA Gray, 1835
Species: Salenia stenzeli Ikins, 1940
TYPE SPECIES: Cidaris scutigera Gray, 1835
DIAGNOSIS
A Salenia with a circular ambitus and inflated sides that round off to a nearly flat abactinal surface. Distinguished from S. mexicana by its general outline, having 6 interambulacral plates per row, and approximately 16 ambulacral tubercles (Ikins, 1940).
STRATIGRAPHICAL OCCURRENCE & DISTRIBUTION
Group: Washita
Formations: Grayson Formation.
Stratigraphic Units: Upper Cretaceous (Albian/Cenomanian transition).
Counties: El Paso.
Abundance: Rare.
DESCRIPTION
TOP: Length, width, height: 14.5 mm L × 9.1 mm H. Top shape: Circular (Ikins, 1940); round to slightly pentagonal (Book Author). Top domed: Abactinal surface only slightly convex/flat; apical cap very thick and prominent.
SIDE: Ambitus: Positioned at midpoint between bottom and corona. Side shape: Inflated; sides only slightly curved, almost box-like.
BOTTOM: Bottom shape: Adactinal surface almost flat and only slightly concave (Ikins, 1940).
AMB: Amb shape: Flexuous and quite narrow. Widest section is from ambitus to peristome. Amb arrangement: Surface ornamented with two rows of about 16 alternating tubercles.
PORE PAIRS: Arrangement: Uniserial (unigeminal). Condition: Become irregular and more numerous/crowded upon approaching the peristome. Shape: Round; some elongated horizontally.
TUBERCLES: Primary Perforated: No (Imperforate). Primary Crenulate: Yes. Ambulacral Tubercles: Alternating, imperforate, and mammillated. Small granules situated between these tubercles (Ikins, 1940). Interambulacral Tubercles: Two rows of six alternating plates. Bosses are large, scrobiculate, and crenulate.
GRANULES: Distribution: In interambulacra: two granules in the upper adradial corner, one in the lower adradial corner, and five on the medial margin of each plate (Ikins, 1940). Sparse in Book Author's description.
FASCIOLE: Absent.
APICAL SYSTEM: Size: Large; diameter about 60–66% of test. Shape: Circular (Ikins, 1940) to subpentagonal (Book Author). Plating: Oculars are lemon-shaped (Book Author) or triangular (Ikins, 1940) with 5 suture pits on inner boundaries. Genitals each have a central gonopore. Ornamentation: Ikins (1940) noted "no ornamentation," but Book Author describes 13 suture pits along the boundary. Outer edge indented outward in the center of each plate.
PERIPROCT (ANUS): Shape: Circular (Ikins, 1940); small and round. Features: Thick raised lip.
PERISTOME (MOUTH): Size: Small; about one-third of the diameter (Ikins, 1940); Book Author notes 50%. Shape: Circular/Decagonal. Lip: Incisions only slightly developed.
SPINES: Unknown.
SPECIMENS STUDIED & CONDITION: Holotype BEG 40550 (Ikins, 1940). Note: Input listed this as "Hypotype," but it matches the author's holotype dimensions and locality.
ETYMOLOGY
Named in honor of Dr. Henryk B. Stenzel (1899–1980), geologist with the Bureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas.
REMARKS & COMPARISONS
Comparisons:
Remarks (01-2026): I studied several typotype specimens, all smaller, collected by Kevin Durney from Georgetown. They have been donated to the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science.
Plate: SaSt-10
Series: Upper Cretaceous Group: Washita Formation: Grayson
Locale: El Paso County: El Paso Stage: Albian
Length: 14.5 mm Height: 9.1 mm
Specimen in photos: BEG 40550 Holotype
Collector: (Not specified)
Repository: Non-vertebrate Paleo. Lab., Univ. of Texas
HOLOTYPE INFO:
Holotype: UT 40550 (BEG 40550) (Ikins, 1940).
Locality: Cerro de Cristo Rey mountain, opposite the smelter, El Paso, Texas.
Stratigraphy: Exogyra whitneyi shale of the Grayson Formation, Washita Group.
SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY – TAXONOMY
Class: Echinoidea Leske, 1778
Subclass: Euechinoidea Bronn, 1860
Infraclass: Carinacea Kroh & Smith, 2010
Superorder: Calycina Gregory, 1900
Order: Salenioida Delage & Hérouard, 1903
Family: Saleniidae L. Agassiz, 1838
Genus: SALENIA Gray, 1835
Species: Salenia stenzeli Ikins, 1940
TYPE SPECIES: Cidaris scutigera Gray, 1835
DIAGNOSIS
A Salenia with a circular ambitus and inflated sides that round off to a nearly flat abactinal surface. Distinguished from S. mexicana by its general outline, having 6 interambulacral plates per row, and approximately 16 ambulacral tubercles (Ikins, 1940).
STRATIGRAPHICAL OCCURRENCE & DISTRIBUTION
Group: Washita
Formations: Grayson Formation.
Stratigraphic Units: Upper Cretaceous (Albian/Cenomanian transition).
Counties: El Paso.
Abundance: Rare.
DESCRIPTION
TOP: Length, width, height: 14.5 mm L × 9.1 mm H. Top shape: Circular (Ikins, 1940); round to slightly pentagonal (Book Author). Top domed: Abactinal surface only slightly convex/flat; apical cap very thick and prominent.
SIDE: Ambitus: Positioned at midpoint between bottom and corona. Side shape: Inflated; sides only slightly curved, almost box-like.
BOTTOM: Bottom shape: Adactinal surface almost flat and only slightly concave (Ikins, 1940).
AMB: Amb shape: Flexuous and quite narrow. Widest section is from ambitus to peristome. Amb arrangement: Surface ornamented with two rows of about 16 alternating tubercles.
PORE PAIRS: Arrangement: Uniserial (unigeminal). Condition: Become irregular and more numerous/crowded upon approaching the peristome. Shape: Round; some elongated horizontally.
TUBERCLES: Primary Perforated: No (Imperforate). Primary Crenulate: Yes. Ambulacral Tubercles: Alternating, imperforate, and mammillated. Small granules situated between these tubercles (Ikins, 1940). Interambulacral Tubercles: Two rows of six alternating plates. Bosses are large, scrobiculate, and crenulate.
GRANULES: Distribution: In interambulacra: two granules in the upper adradial corner, one in the lower adradial corner, and five on the medial margin of each plate (Ikins, 1940). Sparse in Book Author's description.
FASCIOLE: Absent.
APICAL SYSTEM: Size: Large; diameter about 60–66% of test. Shape: Circular (Ikins, 1940) to subpentagonal (Book Author). Plating: Oculars are lemon-shaped (Book Author) or triangular (Ikins, 1940) with 5 suture pits on inner boundaries. Genitals each have a central gonopore. Ornamentation: Ikins (1940) noted "no ornamentation," but Book Author describes 13 suture pits along the boundary. Outer edge indented outward in the center of each plate.
PERIPROCT (ANUS): Shape: Circular (Ikins, 1940); small and round. Features: Thick raised lip.
PERISTOME (MOUTH): Size: Small; about one-third of the diameter (Ikins, 1940); Book Author notes 50%. Shape: Circular/Decagonal. Lip: Incisions only slightly developed.
SPINES: Unknown.
SPECIMENS STUDIED & CONDITION: Holotype BEG 40550 (Ikins, 1940). Note: Input listed this as "Hypotype," but it matches the author's holotype dimensions and locality.
ETYMOLOGY
Named in honor of Dr. Henryk B. Stenzel (1899–1980), geologist with the Bureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas.
REMARKS & COMPARISONS
Comparisons:
- Salenia neocomiensis: S. stenzeli slightly resembles this European species but has 6 interambulacral plates (vs 5) and 16 ambulacral tubercles (vs 18).
- Salenia mexicana: Distinguished by the general outline; S. stenzeli is more inflated with sides rounding to a flat top.
Remarks (01-2026): I studied several typotype specimens, all smaller, collected by Kevin Durney from Georgetown. They have been donated to the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science.
