Mooreocrinus liaoi sp. nov. (Crinoidea, Echinodermata) from the Pennsylvanian (Upper Carboniferous) Outangdi Formation in Zhejiang, South China Block

A new crinoid species of the Order Cladida, Mooreocrinus liaoi Mao and Li sp. nov. , is described from the Pennsylvanian (Upper Carboniferous) Outangdi Formation in Jiangshan, Zhejiang Province, representing the first record of Mooreocrinus Wright & Strimple, 1945 in China. The presence of Mooreocrinus in the South China Block extends the palaeogeographic record of this genus and indicates it to be a cosmopolitan taxon. Three other ancient tectonically-separated areas that are now combined into the modern China mass (Sibumasu, Junggar, North China) do not contain any record of Mooreocrinus. Overall, there is low biodiversity of the Late Paleozoic crinoid faunas in the South China Block. Our new materials provide further evidence for diversity assessment of crinoid faunas in peri-Gondwana blocks.

本次研究记述了产自浙江省江山市晚石炭世（Upper Carboniferous，宾夕法尼亚纪Pennsylvanian）欧堂底组（Outangdi Formation）分枝海百合目（Cladida）的海百合（crinoid）新种——廖氏莫尔海百合（Mooreocrinus liaoi Mao et Li, sp. nov.），这是莫尔海百合属（Mooreocrinus Wright & Strimple, 1945）在中国的首次化石记录。该属在华南板块（South China Block）的发现，拓宽了其古地理分布范围，证实莫尔海百合属为广布类群。另外三个曾在构造上彼此隔离、现今归入现代中国大陆的古区域——滇缅马苏地块（Sibumasu）、准噶尔地块（Junggar）与华北地块（North China）——均未发现该属的化石记录。总体而言，华南板块晚古生代海百合动物群的生物多样性水平较低。本次发现的新材料，为冈瓦纳周缘地块（peri-Gondwana blocks）的海百合动物群多样性评估提供了新的实证支撑。