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Lefortia Cossmann, 1901, p. 58

[Clarkiella Lambert, 1916, p. 169, type species Cassidulus hemisphericus Slocum, 1909, =Cassidulus conoideus Clark in Clark Twitchell, 1915; =Pomelia de Loriol, 1900, p. 66, non Zittel, 1878; = Pomeliopsis de Loriol, 1901, p. 45 (objective) ]

Diagnostic Features
  • Test of small to medium size (lectotype 22 mm), subcircular, with a flat adoral surface.
  • Apical system tetrabasal, with four gonopores situated in the genital plates.
  • Petals long, broad, equal, tapering distally. Pores conjugate, ambulacral plates beyond petals with single pores.
  • Peristome anterior, subpentagonal, equant.
  • Periproct marginal, small, longitudinal.
  • Bourrelets strongly developed, tooth-like; basicoronal plates longer than wide.
  • Phyllodes broad, single-pored, with few pores arranged in two series in each half-ambulacrum, pores widely separated from peristome.
  • Buccal pores on edge of peristome.
Distribution
Upper Cretaceous (Senonian-Maastrichtian) of Europe, Madagascar and USA.
Name gender feminine
Type
Pomelia delgadoi de Loriol, 1900, p. 67; by monotypy.
Species Included
  • L. barrabie Besairie, 1930; Maastrichtian, Madagascar.
  • L. delgadoi (de Loriol, 1900); Senonian, Portugal.
  • L. hemispherica (Slocum, 1909); Late Maastrichtian, USA
Classification and/or Status
Irregularia; Cassiduloida; Faujasiidae; Faujasiinae.
Remarks

Lefortia resembles Eurypetalum but differs in having a more marginal, longitudinal periproct, as opposed to the more inframarginal, transverse periproct found in Eurypetalum (Kier, 1962). Lefortia is also similar to Daradaster and Zuffardia but is easily distinguished by its tetrabasal apical system; the apical system being monobasal in both Daradaster and Zuffardia.

Lambert & Thiery (1909-1925) considered Lefortia a subgenus of Procassidulus. The type species are similar, having well developed bourrelets, broad, single pored phyllodes, a tetrabasal apical system and a flattened oral surface. However, they are easily differentiated by the position of the periproct, being distinctly supramarginal in Procassidulus and marginal in Lefortia.

Cossmann, M. 1901. Revue de Paleozoologie 5, p. 58.

P. M. Kier. 1962. Revision of the cassiduloid echinoids. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, 144 (3) 262 pp.

J. Lambert & P. Thiery. 1909-1925. Essai de nomenclature raisonnee des echinides. Libraire Septime Ferriere, Chaumont, 607 pp., 15 pls.