Resumo

MARTIN-MEDRANO, Leonora  e  GARCIA-BARRERA, Pedro. Analysis of the ophiuroidea (Echinodermata) fossil record in the American Continent. Bol. Soc. Geol. Mex [online]. 2013, vol.65, n.3, pp.497-505. ISSN 1405-3322.

This paper provides an update on the fossil record of ophiuroids (Ordovician-Holocene) within the Americas. These data allow us to evaluate the abundance and distribution of fossil ophiuroids by age and country, as well as to identify the ages and the regions that have been most thoroughly studied. It also provides data on the different types of fossils comprising the record, such as the species described and identified, disaggregated ossicles, brittlestars beds, ichnospecies and data which only report the presence of these specimens in fossil localities. Moreover, there is also an analysis of different types of work -systematic, ecological / taphonomic, evolutive, behavioral or stratigraphic-, in which is recorded the appearance of fossil ophiuroids in the continent for the first time, in addition to the decades with most publications of this nature. Finally, this paper includes a list of the species described and relevant literature for each country on the continent.

Palavras-chave : Ophiuroids; fossil record; America.