- Plesiocidaris
Taxobox
name = "Plesiocidaris"
fossil_range =Late Jurassic
regnum =Animal ia
phylum =Echinodermata
classis =Echinoidea
ordo =Hemicidaroida
genus = "Plesiocidaris"
species = "P. durandi"
binomial = "Plesiocidaris durandi""Plesiocidaris durandi" is an extinct species of
sea urchin . Including its spines, the creature was 13cm (5in) wide. Its remains have been found inDrâ el-Ahmar , near theAtlas Mountains inOran ,Algeria . A Commander Durand found thefossil s there in1870 and sent them to French paleontologists. The exact location of the find was not noted and hasn't been rediscovered since. The species name, "durandi", refers to Commander Durand. Most "Plesiocidaris" fossils still have the spines attached, indicating they lived in calm water; the spines of dead sea urchins are easily detached by wave currents.
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