Echinoid Distribution by Fragment Identification in the Northern Bay of Safaga, Red Sea, Egypt

Abstract

Regular and irregular echinoid fragments from standardized bulk sediment samples from the Northern Bay of Safaga, Red Sea, Egypt, show a highly differentiated distribution which can be correlated to bottom facies type. The identification of echinoid fragments is possible upon comparison to living and complete skeletons, because of the numerous morphological features which characterize the test and spines. The distribution of fragments can be understood as a function of the presence of living taxa and taphonomic processes such as transport and time-averaging. The study of fragments should be useful in delineating the distribution of sea urchins in paleo-biological studies, despite the methodological size restriction, different taphonomic pathways of the diverse taxa, and limited habitat mixing