Rare Ophiuroid Brittlestar Fossils from Far North

This is the rare brittlestar from an unusual arctic archipelago. Dating of the locality has been done using diatom assemblages. This plate contains four specimens, all exhibiting great detail and contrast.

The Ophiuroids are known from the Late Ordovician to the modern times, with some 1400 extant species. In comparison, there are 18 known species from the Cretaceous. There have been only 14 species of ophiuroids described from the Tertiary including five from the Eocene. The Eocene ophiuroid species have been described from Belgium, England, Venezuela, the Antarctic Peninsula, and New Jersey.