Salenia whitneyi Cannon in Ikins, 1940
Plate: SaWh-10
Series: Upper Cretaceous Group: Navarro Formation: Corsicana
Local: San Antonio County: Bexar Stage: Maastrichtian
Length: 20.1 mm Height: 11.9 mm
Specimen in photo: NPL 83041 Hypotype
Collector: William R. Thompson, Jr.
Repository: Non-vertebrate Paleo. Lab., Univ. of Texas
Plate: SaWh-20
Series: Upper Cretaceous Group: Navarro Formation: Corsicana
Local: San Antonio County: Bexar Stage: Maastrichtian
Length: 20.0 mm Height: 11.0 mm
Collector: Will Jo (of Austin)
Repository: Private Collection
HOLOTYPE INFO:
Holotype: UT/BEG Collection (Cannon in Ikins, 1940).
Locality: King's Water Hole, Hondo River, 2 miles north of Hondo, Medina County, Texas.
Stratigraphy: Basal chalky marl, Anacacho Formation (Taylor/Navarro Group).
SYNONYMY
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 whitneyi Cannon in Ikins, 1940
TYPE SPECIES: Cidaris scutigera Gray, 1835
DIAGNOSIS
Test elevated and subcircular with a pentagonal, depressed-conical apical system. Ocular plates are small and subtrigonal. Distinguished by the wavy (zigzag) contact line between the apical system and the corona, and by the specific arrangement of interambulacral granules (two large rows with two smaller rows between).
STRATIGRAPHICAL OCCURRENCE & DISTRIBUTION
Group: Navarro (Specimens); Taylor (Type).
Formations: Corsicana Formation; Anacacho Formation.
Stratigraphic Units: Upper Cretaceous, Campanian to Maastrichtian.
Counties: Bexar, Medina.
Abundance: Uncommon.
DESCRIPTION
TOP: Length, width, height: 20.1 mm L × 11.9 mm H (Hypotype). Top shape: Circular to slightly pentagonal. Top domed: Aboral surface depressed convex; apical system is depressed conical (Cannon in Ikins, 1940).
SIDE: Ambitus: Positioned at 1/3 height from the adoral surface. Side shape: Inflated and regularly curved; sub-spherical. Profile: Apical disc set with a wavy base line on the corona.
BOTTOM: Bottom shape: Adoral surface nearly flat to slightly concave.
AMB: Amb shape: Narrow and flexuous; pointed at apical system, widening quickly and remaining consistent until slightly widening at the peristome. Amb arrangement: Surface ornamented with two rows of 22–24 alternating tubercles (Cannon in Ikins, 1940).
PORE PAIRS: Arrangement: Uniserial (unigeminal). Shape: Circular; those nearest the ambitus are largest.
TUBERCLES: Primary Perforated: No (Imperforate). Primary Crenulate: Yes. Ambulacral Tubercles: Rounded and mammillated; between each pair of tubercles is a pair of prominent granules. Interambulacral Tubercles: Two rows of 6–7 mammillated primary tubercles.
GRANULES: Distribution: In interambulacra: two rows of large granules in zigzag alignment with two rows of smaller granules between them; many minute granules encircle the others (Cannon in Ikins, 1940).
FASCIOLE: Absent.
APICAL SYSTEM: Size: Large; diameter 60% of test, 15 mm on 23 mm test (~65%) (Cannon). Shape: Pentagonal. Plating: Oculars are subtrigonal or "C" shaped with concave faces outward. Genitals are elongate; basal margins form the apices of the pentagon. Ornamentation: Genital plates have two small ridges ornamenting the margins; slight bumps present.
PERIPROCT (ANUS): Shape: Subtrigonal (triangular). Features: Bordered by a very large lip; bordered equally by suranal and posterior genital plates.
PERISTOME (MOUTH): Size: >50% of diameter (Cannon). Shape: Circular, decagonal. Lip: 10 equally spaced notches; branchial notches strong.
SPINES: Unknown.
SPECIMENS STUDIED & CONDITION:
ETYMOLOGY
Named in honor of Professor Francis Luther Whitney, University of Texas, who supervised the work of Ikins and Cannon.
REMARKS & COMPARISONS
Remarks: This species was described by R.L. Cannon within the publication by W.C. Ikins (1940).
Comparisons:
Plate: SaWh-10
Series: Upper Cretaceous Group: Navarro Formation: Corsicana
Local: San Antonio County: Bexar Stage: Maastrichtian
Length: 20.1 mm Height: 11.9 mm
Specimen in photo: NPL 83041 Hypotype
Collector: William R. Thompson, Jr.
Repository: Non-vertebrate Paleo. Lab., Univ. of Texas
Plate: SaWh-20
Series: Upper Cretaceous Group: Navarro Formation: Corsicana
Local: San Antonio County: Bexar Stage: Maastrichtian
Length: 20.0 mm Height: 11.0 mm
Collector: Will Jo (of Austin)
Repository: Private Collection
HOLOTYPE INFO:
Holotype: UT/BEG Collection (Cannon in Ikins, 1940).
Locality: King's Water Hole, Hondo River, 2 miles north of Hondo, Medina County, Texas.
Stratigraphy: Basal chalky marl, Anacacho Formation (Taylor/Navarro Group).
SYNONYMY
- Salenia whitneyi Cannon in Ikins, 1940
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 whitneyi Cannon in Ikins, 1940
TYPE SPECIES: Cidaris scutigera Gray, 1835
DIAGNOSIS
Test elevated and subcircular with a pentagonal, depressed-conical apical system. Ocular plates are small and subtrigonal. Distinguished by the wavy (zigzag) contact line between the apical system and the corona, and by the specific arrangement of interambulacral granules (two large rows with two smaller rows between).
STRATIGRAPHICAL OCCURRENCE & DISTRIBUTION
Group: Navarro (Specimens); Taylor (Type).
Formations: Corsicana Formation; Anacacho Formation.
Stratigraphic Units: Upper Cretaceous, Campanian to Maastrichtian.
Counties: Bexar, Medina.
Abundance: Uncommon.
DESCRIPTION
TOP: Length, width, height: 20.1 mm L × 11.9 mm H (Hypotype). Top shape: Circular to slightly pentagonal. Top domed: Aboral surface depressed convex; apical system is depressed conical (Cannon in Ikins, 1940).
SIDE: Ambitus: Positioned at 1/3 height from the adoral surface. Side shape: Inflated and regularly curved; sub-spherical. Profile: Apical disc set with a wavy base line on the corona.
BOTTOM: Bottom shape: Adoral surface nearly flat to slightly concave.
AMB: Amb shape: Narrow and flexuous; pointed at apical system, widening quickly and remaining consistent until slightly widening at the peristome. Amb arrangement: Surface ornamented with two rows of 22–24 alternating tubercles (Cannon in Ikins, 1940).
PORE PAIRS: Arrangement: Uniserial (unigeminal). Shape: Circular; those nearest the ambitus are largest.
TUBERCLES: Primary Perforated: No (Imperforate). Primary Crenulate: Yes. Ambulacral Tubercles: Rounded and mammillated; between each pair of tubercles is a pair of prominent granules. Interambulacral Tubercles: Two rows of 6–7 mammillated primary tubercles.
GRANULES: Distribution: In interambulacra: two rows of large granules in zigzag alignment with two rows of smaller granules between them; many minute granules encircle the others (Cannon in Ikins, 1940).
FASCIOLE: Absent.
APICAL SYSTEM: Size: Large; diameter 60% of test, 15 mm on 23 mm test (~65%) (Cannon). Shape: Pentagonal. Plating: Oculars are subtrigonal or "C" shaped with concave faces outward. Genitals are elongate; basal margins form the apices of the pentagon. Ornamentation: Genital plates have two small ridges ornamenting the margins; slight bumps present.
PERIPROCT (ANUS): Shape: Subtrigonal (triangular). Features: Bordered by a very large lip; bordered equally by suranal and posterior genital plates.
PERISTOME (MOUTH): Size: >50% of diameter (Cannon). Shape: Circular, decagonal. Lip: 10 equally spaced notches; branchial notches strong.
SPINES: Unknown.
SPECIMENS STUDIED & CONDITION:
- Hypotype NPL 83041: Corsicana Fm, Bexar Co. (W.R. Thompson, Jr.).
- Specimen 2 (SaWh-20): Corsicana Fm, Bexar Co. (Will Jo).
ETYMOLOGY
Named in honor of Professor Francis Luther Whitney, University of Texas, who supervised the work of Ikins and Cannon.
REMARKS & COMPARISONS
Remarks: This species was described by R.L. Cannon within the publication by W.C. Ikins (1940).
Comparisons:
- Salenia bellula: S. whitneyi is larger, lacks ornamentation on the apical disk (ridges are marginal only), has a subtrigonal periproct, and has more primary tubercles on both ambulacra and interambulacra.
- Salenia pseudowhitneyi: S. whitneyi has a pentagonal apical system (vs. scalloped/subpentagonal in pseudowhitneyi) and the genitals are depressed relative to oculars creating a zigzag base line (vs. straight line in pseudowhitneyi).
