Protocinctus
{{Short description|Extinct genus of echinoderms}}
{{speciesbox
| fossil_range = Miaolingian (Wuliuan), {{Geological range|506.5|504.5}}
| image = Kapli et al. 2021 f05b (cropped) Protocinctus.jpg
| image_caption = Ventral view of a specimen of Protocinctus mansillaensis
| image2 =
| image2_caption =
| genus = Protocinctus
| parent_authority = Rahman & Zamora, 2009
| species = mansillaensis
| authority = Rahman & Zamora, 2009
}}
Protocinctus is a genus of cinctan and, {{as of|2024|lc=y}}, it is the oldest such recognized genus. It is known from the Wuliuan age of the Mansilla Formation, Zaragoza, Spain. It is represented by the single species Protocinctus mansillaensis.
Description
The genus bears a combination of characters unique to cinctans, with an elongated oval-shaped theca with a single anterior left marginal feeding groove, and a posterior marginal frame open in posterior ventral view.
Like other cinctans, they would have been active pharyngeal filter feeders. The animal would lay close to the sediment surface with the anterior region oriented downstream and generate an inhalant flow of water directing suspended food particles to the mouth.
References
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Category:Carboniferous echinoderms
Category:Prehistoric echinoderm genera
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