Roveacrinida (Crinoidea, Articulata) from the upper Maastrichtian Peedee Formation (upper Cretaceous) of North Carolina, USA - The last pelagic microcrinoids

Microcrinoids belonging to the Order Roveacrinida are described from the Late Maastrichtian Peedee Formation of North Carolina. Five species are present; Applinocrinus texanus Peck, 1973, Lucernacrinus multispinosus Gale, sp. nov., Birgenelocrinus degraafi Jagt, 1999, B. jagti Gale, sp. nov. and Peedeecrinus sadorfi Gale, gen. et sp. nov. Two of these species (A. texanus, B. degraafi) and close relatives of two others (Lucernacrinus, Birgenelocrinus jagti) are known from the upper Maastrichtian (upper Maastricht Formation) of the Netherlands and northeastern Belgium, indicating that the Roveacrinida were flourishing and widespread up to the end of the Cretaceous. It is concluded that Paleogene and Neogene records of Roveacrinidae represent contamination of samples by Cretaceous (Turonian) material.