Marginix

Marginix
Temporal range:
Illustration of the holotype specimen of M. yachalensis
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Ophiuroidea
Family: Encrinasteridae
Subfamily: Encrinasterinae
Genus: Marginix
Martínez & del Río, 2015
Type species
Encrinaster yachalensis
(= †Marginix yachalensis)
Ruedemann, 1916
Other species
  • M. hilleri Jell & Theron, 1999
  • M. notatus Fraga & Vega, 2020
Synonyms
Synonyms of Marginix
Synonyms of M. yachalensis
  • Encrinaster yachalensis Ruedemann, 1916
  • Marginaster yachalensis Haude, 1995
  • Marginura yachalensis Haude, 1999
Synonyms of M. hilleri
  • Marginura hilleri Jell & Theron, 1999

Marginix is an extinct genus of brittle star in the family Encrinasteridae that lived during the Devonian period in South America and Africa. It contains three named species. The type species, M. yachalensis, was originally named as a species of Encrinaster in 1916, and its remains are known from Argentina. A second species, M. hilleri, was first described in 1999 based on specimens from South Africa, and a third species, M. notatus, originates from Brazil and was named in 2020. Fossils of Marginix were first recognized to represent a distinct genus in 1995, but the genus was only given its current name in 2015. Prior to this, it was given the names Marginaster and Marginura, but both were preoccupied and had to be replaced.