Distinguishing features:
Parent taxon (Ophiaster): Appendages formed from strings of highly modified antapical coccoliths, without whorl coccoliths
This taxon: BCs with central plaque formed of a few laths. Link coccoliths short and broad
| LITHS: murolith, elliptical, CA: ca_disjunct, grill, process, CSPH: equant, elongated, AAC, appendages, CFC, XC, CROSS-POLARS: R-prominent, T-prominent, |
| Lith size: 1->1.8µm; Coccosphere size: 4.5->7.5µm; Liths per sphere: 60->90 Data source notes: lith length (BCs) from illustrated specimens; csph data from Cros & Fortuño 2003; |
Geological Range:
Last occurrence (top): Extant. Data source: present in the plankton (Young et al. 2003)
First occurrence (base): within No known fossil record modern (0.00-0.00Ma, base in "Holocene" stage). Data source: [JRY rough estimate]
Plot of occurrence data:
Cros, L. & Fortuño, J. -M. (2002). Atlas of northwestern Mediterranean coccolithophores. Scientia Marina. 66: 1-186. gs Gran, H. H. (1912). Pelagic plant life. In, Murray, J. & Hjort, J. (eds) The Depths of the Ocean. Macmillan, London 307-386. gs Keuter, S., Young, J. R., Koplovitz, G., Zingone, A. & Frada, M. J. (2021). Novel heterococcolithophores, holococcolithophores and life cycle combinations from the families Syracosphaeraceae and Papposphaeraceae and the genus Florisphaera. Journal of Micropalaeontology. 40: 75-99. gs O Lecal, J. (1967). Le nannoplancton des Côtes d'Israel. Hydrobiologia. 29: 305-387. gs Lecal-Schlauder, J. (1951). Recherches morphologiques et biologiques sur les Coccolithophorides Nord-Africains. Annales de l'Institut Océanographique, Monaco & Paris. 26: 255-362. gs Winter, A., Reiss, Z. & Luz, B. (1979). Distribution of living coccolithophore assemblages in the Gulf of Elat ('Aqaba). Marine Micropaleontology. 4: 197-223. gs Young, J. R., Geisen, M., Cros, L., Kleijne, A., Probert, I. & Ostergaard, J. B. (2003). A guide to extant coccolithophore taxonomy. Journal of Nannoplankton Research. S1: 1-132. gs References:

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Ophiaster formosus compiled by Jeremy R. Young, Paul R. Bown, Jacqueline A. Lees viewed: 21-7-2026
Short stable page link: https://mikrotax.org/Nannotax3/index.php?id=962 Go to Archive.is to create a permanent copy of this page - citation notes |
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