Data from: Morphometric investigation of the Pentremites fauna from the Glen Dean Formation, Kentucky

New techniques involving three-dimensional (3D) data collection and
landmark analysis provide an opportunity to make breakthroughs in
understanding blastoid morphology. This pilot study examines four species
(Pentremites pyriformis, P. tulipiformis, P. fredericki n. sp., and P.
meganae n. sp.), using 3D morphological variation and geometric
morphometrics to discriminate between species. All specimens were
collected from a single shale unit within the Upper Mississippian Glen
Dean Formation near Hopkinsville, Kentucky. A 3D laser scanner was used to
acquire 3D images for all specimens. Conservative blastoid thecal plating
allowed the collection of 3D coordinates for a series of homologous
landmarks from these laser images that fully describe specimen morphology.
Data were analyzed using the R (language and environment for statistical
computing and graphics) packages SHAPES and MCLUST. Mixture modeling
identified and separated all four species based on shape alone. In
addition, three new species were uncovered during this study, including:
Pentremites fredericki, P. meganae and Diploblastus fadigai.