Copernicrinus zamorae gen. et sp. nov., the oldest thiolliericrinid crinoid (Crinoidea, Echinodermata) from the Bajocian strata of Algeria, Africa

The thiolliericrinids (Thiolliericrinidae) are comatulids (Comatulida), which retained their stalks as adults. Here, we report a centrodorsal from the Bajocian strata (Middle Jurassic) of the Djebel Kérdacha area, northwestern Algeria (Africa). It is the first thiolliericrinid report from outside of Europe and also the oldest representative of the Thiolliericrinidae whose first occurrence is from the Oxfordian. The crinoid is assigned to Copernicrinus zamorae gen. et sp. nov. The reported new taxon shows strong similarities with the stemless ‘true’ comatulids, Solanocrinites; the only difference is the presence of a facet to the stem in Copernicrinus. The closest comparable thiolliericrinid to Copernicrinus is the Oxfordian Thiolliericrinus, interpreted as a descendant of the latter. The origin and overview of all thiolliericrinid representatives are also discussed herein.