Krommaster
extinct genus of echinoderms
Krommaster (meaning "Krom River star") is an extinct genus of early ophiuroids (brittle stars) that lived nearly 410 million years ago in the early Devonian period of South Africa. It was found in the upper unit of the Baviaanskloof formation, Cape super group, Table Mountain group, Eastern cape. This genus has one species which is Krommaster spinosus. This species was discovered alongside Hexuraster, another species of brittle star living in the same area.
Discovery and naming
Fossilized material of brittle stars were discovered in South African deposits older than the Bokkeveld Group for the first time by paleontologist Robert Gess, who collected several specimens originating from the upper unit of the Baviaanskloof Formation in Eastern Cape. These specimens were described in a 2023 study which recognized most of them to represent a new genus and species, while one of them was a specimen of Hexuraster weitzi. The new taxon was given the name Krommaster spinosus, the generic name combining "Kromm" (in reference to the Krom River, in the canyon of which the fossils were found) with the Latin word "aster" (meaning "star"), while the specific name is Latin for "spiny" (in reference to the animal's large spines). A fully articulated specimen and its counterpart (AM18222A+B) were designated as the holotype of this species, and two other specimens were listed as paratypes. These are all kept in the Albany Museum, along with two additional known specimens.
Description
This genus is characterized by their moderately large encrinasterid with a disk covered in a mosaic of small, thin scales and extending form the fifth and sixth arm segments.
“Krommaster” enters the record as extinct genus of echinoderms. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Krommaster, extinct and genus can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Krommaster” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Krommaster, extinct and genus provides the most credible route into that argument.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q123474467. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2023.
A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Krommaster” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.