CYATHOCRINITES

extinct genus of crinoids, or sea lilies, found as fossils in Silurian to Permian marine rocks (between 438 million and 245 million years old). The genus is especially well represented in the Early Carboniferous Epoch (360 to 320 million years ago), a time that saw an abundance of many crinoids. More than 100 species of Cyathocrinites have been described.