@article {8494,
	title = {Coniacian (Late Cretaceous) echinoids from the southern Tethyan shelf (NE Algeria) with remarks on their palaeobiology and palaeobiogeography},
	journal = {Cretaceous Research},
	volume = {179},
	year = {2026},
	abstract = {
	Thirteen echinoid taxa are described from Coniacian marl-limestone alternations in three sections south and east of Djebel Metlili, on the southwestern margin of the Aures Mountains in northeastern Algeria. The biostratigraphic framework, based on ammonites and inoceramids, indicates an early to middle Coniacian age. The identified taxa include:\&nbsp;Rachiosoma rectilineatum,\&nbsp;Phymosoma tamarinense,\&nbsp;P. cf.\&nbsp;P. mansour,\&nbsp;Gomphechinus meslei,\&nbsp;Coenholectypus subcrassus, Parapygus coquandi,\&nbsp;Petalobrissus trigonopygus,\&nbsp;P.\&nbsp;rimula,\&nbsp;Hemiaster\&nbsp;sp., and\&nbsp;Mecaster fourneli. Three new species are described,\&nbsp;Orthopsis metliliae\&nbsp;sp. nov.,\&nbsp;Coenholectypus sulcatus\&nbsp;sp. nov. and a new genus and species referred to the family Phymosomatoidae,\&nbsp;Triboporus luluatus\&nbsp;gen. et sp. nov. A large amount of well-documented material, comprising 579 specimens, was collected, with the fauna being dominated by the spatangoid\&nbsp;Mecaster fourneli. At the genus level, the fauna exhibits characteristics typical of the Tethyan realm, and includes\&nbsp;Rachiosoma,\&nbsp;Gomphechinus,\&nbsp;Mecaster,\&nbsp;Parapygus\&nbsp;and\&nbsp;Petalobrissus. However, at the species level, most taxa are restricted to Algeria. Some are also found in adjacent countries such as Tunisia and Egypt.

},
	url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106261},
	author = {Schl{\"u}ter, Nils and Slami, Rafika and Benyoucef,  Madani and Garah,  Abdelmoumen and Kennedy, W. James and Walaszczyk, Ireneusz}
}
