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The Echinoid Directory

Cottaldia Desor, 1856, p. 113

[=Cotteaudia Lambert & Thiery, 1910, p. 229 (objective); =Heterocosmus Pomel, 1883, p. 83, type species Heterocosmus confusus Pomel, 1883, p. 83 (=Cottaldia benettiae Koenig, 1820); =  Micropedina Cotteau, 1866, p. 822, type species Echinus olisiponensis Forbes, 1850; =Helodiadema Clark, in Clark & Twitchell, 1915, p. 57, type species Helodiadema rotula Clark, in Clark & Twitchell, 1915]

Diagnostic Features
  • Test subglobular, flattened below, gently domed above.
  • Apical disc small; dicyclic; plates firmly bound to corona. Genital plates pentagonal; ocular plates smaller and projecting slightly. A ring of tubercles developed around the inner edge of genital plates encircling the periproct. Periproct relatively small and D-shaped.
  • Ambulacra straight; pore-pairs small, uniserial; no differentiation of pore-pairs between apical and oral surfaces; no phyllodes, or with only weak pore crowding.
  • Ambulacral plating simple adapically, with all elements reaching the perradius; in triads elsewhere, with elements all reaching the perradius; a horizontal series of 2-3 small tubercles on each plate plus a row of granules.
  • Interambulacral plates wider than tall; with a single row of up to 10 equal-sized tubercles on each; these rows being separated by narrow bands of miliary granulation. Primary tubercle slightly better differentiated close to apex.
  • Tubercles mostly imperforate and non-crenulate. Tubercles on oral surface a little larger and may show rudimentary perforation.
  • Peristome circular, slightly sunken; buccal notches hardly notch the margin; no tag. No basicoronal interambulacral plate interradially.
  • No sphaeridial pits.
  • Spines and lantern unknown.
Distribution
Cretaceous, Europe, North and South America, Africa.
Name gender feminine
Type
Echinus benettiae Koenig, 1820, p. 2, by monotypy.
Species Included
  • C. granulosa (Goldfuss, 1826); Cenomanian, western Europe.
  • C. benettiae (Koenig, 1820); Cenomanian, western Europe.
  • C. olisiponensis (Forbes, 1850); Cenomanian, southern Europe, Africa (Niger, Nigeria) and Brazil.
  • C. rotula (Clark, 1915); Cenomanian, Texas, USA
Classification and/or Status
Euechinoidea, Echinacea, unnamed family (pedinopsids)
Remarks
For a recent description of the type species see Smith & Wright (1996).

Desor, E. 1855-1858. Synopsis des échinides fossiles. Reinwald , Paris, lxviii+490 pp., 44 pls.

Smith, A. B. & Wright, C. W. 1996. British Cretaceous Echinoids. Part 4, Stirodonta 3 (Phymosomatidae, Pseudodiadematidae) and Camarodonta. Monograph of the Palaeontographical Society (publication no. 602, part of vol. 150), 268-341, pls 93-114.