A New Ophiuroid Fossil from Upper Cretaceous Strata of Bathurst Island

A scientific description of a new ophiuroid species, Ophiomicros bathursti gen. et sp.nov., from Cenomanian (Upper Cretaceous) strata. The dataset is provided by Geoscience Australia Data and was last updated on 2026-05-26. It includes details on the fossil's morphology and its distinction from related genera.

Use Cases

• Taxonomic classification of a new ophiuroid species based on morphological description.
• Comparative morphology studies based on oral and adoral plate characteristics.
• Paleoecological research on Cenomanian marine environments in the Northern Territory.

Strengths

• Describes a newly identified fossil species with a specific geological context (Cenomanian, Upper Cretaceous).
• Provides a detailed morphological comparison to established genera (Ophiura, Amphiura).
• Originates from an authoritative geological organization, Geoscience Australia Data.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Time Range

Cenomanian (Upper Cretaceous)

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-26 19:14:08.793579; freshness should be verified

Geography

Bathurst Island, Northern Territory, Australia