Dendraster
gibbsii
Here’s a nicely preserved fossil sand dollar from
California. It has been prepared by air abrasion to better show the plate
boundaries.
This is Dendraster gibbsii, first described by
Auguste Rémond in the 1860s. This species is relatively common in the Siphonalia
zone of the Etchegoin Formation (Lower Pliocene). It comes from the
Kettleman Hills (west-central Kings County) of south-central California, USA.
Classification: Animalia, Echinodermata, Echinozoa, Echinoidea,
Clypeasteroida, Scutellina, Dendrasteridae
Dendraster gibbsii (4.3 cm across) from the Etchegoin Formation (Lower
Pliocene) of the Kettleman Hills, California, USA.