New Pennsylvanian (Moscovian) echinoderms from Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, western China

The few Pennsylvanian echinoderm faunas reported from the Paleotethys are from China, Japan, and Australia. The Japanese and Chinese faunas contain camerates that are rare in Pennsylvanian faunas worldwide. of one monobathrid camerate, two disparids, five cladids, one flexible, one blastoid, and one archaeocidarid are reported from the late Moscovian uppermost part of the Qijiagou Formation or lowermost part of the Aoertu Formation in the Taoshigo Valley near Taoshuyuan Village, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. They are here referred to as the Aoertu fauna, which is most closely allied with Pennsylvanian crinoids reported from a slightly older fauna from the Qijiagou Formation in the Taoshigo Valley and with faunas known from Japan and North America. Most taxa are identified to the genus level and left in open nomenclature because of poor or partial preservation. In addition, camerate ossicles and a cup of Synbathocrinus are reported from the early Moscovian part of the Sanquanzi Formation at Yamansu, southeast of the Taoshigo Valley. New taxa described are: Synbathocrinus labrus n. sp., Stellarocrinus qijiagouensis n. sp. and Metaperimestocrinus aoertuensis n. sp.