Catinaster virginianus sp. nov.: A new species of Catinaster from the middle Miocene Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain
High-resolution analysis of sediments from four coreholes associated with the Chesapeake Bay impact crater has resulted in the identification of a new species, Catinaster virginianus. This species is similar to Catinaster coalitus coalitus, but differs in having a proximal stem. The first occurrence of C. virginianus is in Zone NN5, and is older than any previously identified Catinaster . This species has been identified previously as Catinaster sp. from the Gulf of Mexico and the Carpathian Foredeep and suggests both a global distribution and synchronous stratigraphic range. Morphologic similarities with Discoaster variabilis may suggest a taxonomic relationship to the D. variabilis lineage.