Ammotrophus crassus (Clark, 1938)
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Synonym/s: Hesperaster crassus Clark, 1938
Conservation Status
Missing (Clark, 1938:414) or Extinct (Kroh & Mooi, 2025)
Last record: Middle Holocene (McNamara et al., 1991:64)
"The fact that the holotype of crassus is subfossil does not indicate that the species is extinct. All of the other echinoids found in this deposit are recent species now living on the Western Australian coast and it is quite possible that firther dredging will bring to light living specimens of Hesperaster crassus."
(Clark, 1938:414)
Distribution & Habitat
Western Australia, Australia
Type locality: "taken from a "quaternary deposit near salt lake on Rottnest Island, W.A."" (Clark, 1938:414)
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
Media
References
Original scientific description:
Clark, H. L. (1938). Echinoderms from Australia, an account of collections made in 1929 and 1932. Memoirs of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College 55: 1-597 [413-414], 28 pls.
Other references:
Kier, P. M. and Lawson, M. H. (1978). Index of living and fossil echinoids 1924-1970. Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology 34: 1-182 [59].
Kroh, A. and Mooi, R. (2025). World Echinoidea Database. Ammotrophus crassus (H.L. Clark, 1938) †. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1421811 on 2025-05-27
McNamara, Kenneth J., Long, John A. and Brimmell, K. (1991). Catalogue of type fossils in the Western Australian Museum. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement No. 39: 1-106.
Mortensen, T. (1948). A Monograph of the Echinoidea. IV, 2. Clypeasteroida. Clypeasteridæ, Arachnoidæ, Fibulariidæ, Laganidæ and Scutellidæ. 471 pp., C. A. Reitzel, Copenhagen.
https://extinctanimals.proboards.com/thread/21903/hesperaster-crassus