Muldaster Thuy, Eriksson & Numberger-Thuy, 2022

Thuy, Ben, Eriksson, Mats E., Kutscher, Manfred & Numberger-Thuy, Lea D., 2024, The beginning of a success story: basalmost members of the extant ophiuroid clade from the Silurian of Gotland, Sweden, European Journal of Taxonomy 947 (1), pp. 216-247 : 241

Genus Muldaster Thuy, Eriksson & Numberger-Thuy, 2022

Type and only known species

Muldaster haakei Thuy, Eriksson & Numberger-Thuy, 2022 , by original designation.

Diagnosis (modified from Thuy et al. 2022)

Ophiovalid (see above) ophiuroid with very small, strongly elongate and weakly constricted lateral arm plates, with protruding ventral portion distally incised by tentacle notch; two closely spaced lateral arm spine articulations each composed of single opening surrounded by elevated ridge; inner side of lateral arm plates with lacking bulges, perforations and other traces of groove spine articulations; vertebrae bone shaped, with strongly concave waist. Large, coarsely tuberculated zygocondyles on distal side of vertebrae merged into hourglass-shaped knob; water vessel canal enclosed by distal third and proximal quarter of vertebra, exposed at waist of vertebral body running in shallow furrow. Articulated arm segments with lateral arm plates meeting along ventral midline, exposing podial basins ventrally and vertebrae dorsally; arm spines short, conical, pointed; dorsal and ventral arm plates absent.