Abstract
The brissid echinoid Schizobrissus insignis (Duncan & Sladen, 1883) is described from the Fulra Limestone (late middle Eocene), in Kachchh, India. Formerly assigned to Peripneustes or to Meoma it is shown that the species possesses a complete subanal fasciole throughout ontogeny, a characteristic feature of Schizobrissus. Eocene species of Schizobrissus and Meoma show several morphological similarities, but diverged during the late Paleogene and early Neogene.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are indebted to the Head, Department of Geology, Centre of Advanced Study, University of Lucknow, Lucknow, for providing facilities and encouragement. We are obliged to the Director, Curatorial Division, Geological Survey of India, Kolkata for providing the GSI type specimens for restudy, grateful to Prof. A. K. Jauhri, Department of Geology, Centre of Advanced Study, University of Lucknow, for suggestions and to Shri Vijai Kumar Soni, Department of Geology, Centre of Advanced Study, University of Lucknow, for help in the preparation of the manuscript. We are thankful to Louis Zachos and an anonymous referee for critically appraising the manuscript and offering suggestions for its improvement. We gratefully acknowledge financial assistance to the first author by the Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi (Letter No. SR/S4/ES: 163/2005; dated 15 January, 2007).