ABSTRACT
Because of the irreversibility of life’s history, the fossil record possesses an intrinsic value as a source of information. It thus becomes possible to reconstruct phylogeny from the stratigraphic succession observed. Although palaeontologists have always relied first and foremost on morphology to group organisms, stratigraphic order has also been an important guide in the interpretation of evolutionary trends. Stokes (1975) introduced a spatial dimension by establishing several faunal provinces as a framework for understanding the evolution of Micraster. He separated a European realm from a north-African realm on the basis of the general distribution of many genera, arguing that Micraster and such holasterids as Infulaster, Hagenowia, Echinocorys or Cardiaster are almost completely restricted to the European realm.
