Spatangus

Lore & Background

Spatangus is a genus of heart urchins within the Spatangidae family. The genus is synonymous with the previously recognised genera Prospatangus and Spatagus. The type species is Spatangus purpureus, designated by Rowe & Gates in 1995. Fossils of heart urchins of this genus have been found in sediments of Europe, the United States, Egypt, and Australia, spanning from the Cretaceous to the Pliocene (age range: 85.8 to 2.588 Ma). The genus includes both extant and extinct species, with nine recognised species overall.

Reader's Guide

Spatangus is notable as a genus of heart urchins within the Spatangidae family, with a fossil record extending from the Cretaceous to the Pliocene across Europe, the United States, Egypt, and Australia. The genus is synonymous with the previously recognised genera Prospatangus and Spatagus, reflecting taxonomic revisions. Its type species, Spatangus purpureus, was designated by Rowe & Gates in 1995. The genus comprises marine heart urchins that feed on subsurface deposits and graze. The list of species includes both living and fossil forms, such as Spatangus altus, Spatangus baixadoleitensis (a fossil), Spatangus beryl, Spatangus brissus, Spatangus californicus, Spatangus capensis, Spatangus diomedeae, Spatangus glenni (a fossil), Spatangus inermis, Spatangus luetkeni, Spatangus lutkeni, Spatangus mathesoni, Spatangus multispinus, Spatangus pallidus, Spatangus paucituberculatus, Spatangus purpureus, Spatangus raschi, Spatangus savignyi, Spatangus subinermis, Spatangus tapinus (a fossil), and Spatangus thor. The genus's significance lies in its long temporal range and widespread fossil distribution, contributing to understanding of heart urchin evolution.

Did You Know?

• Fossils of this genus have been found in Europe, the United States, Egypt, and Australia.
• The fossil age range of Spatangus is from the Cretaceous to the Pliocene (85.8 to 2.588 Ma).