Systematics, distribution and paleoecology of the genera Genocidaris Agassiz, 1869 and Arbacina Pomel, 1869 (Trigonocidaridae, Echinoidea)

Abstract

The relationship among members of the echinoid genera Genocidaris and Arbacina (family Trigonocidaridae) is studied. Distinctive morphological characters of these two genera are discussed, based on recent specimens from the Caribbean and the Mediterranean and on fossils collected from 34 Miocene, Pliocene and Pleistocene European localities. Geographic and biostratigraphic distributions of the two genera and their paleoecological requirements are reported. Based on this analysis, Arbacina is considered a junior synonym of the genus Genocidaris.