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A well-preserved, low-diversity assemblage of fossil echinoderms from the early Middle Volgian in the Slottsmoya Member (Agardhfjellet Formation) has been discovered at Janusfjellet, Sassenfjorden area, central Spitsbergen. Five species are recognised: the isocrinid Chariocrinus sp., the pedinoid Hemipedina sp., the forcipulate asteroid Asteriidae sp., the ophiacanthid Ophiacanthidae sp. and the ophiurid Ophiurinae sp. A depositional environment model reconciling autecologic, taphonomic and sedimentary evidence is presented. The Janusfjellet Lagerstatte was formed by a single, rapid burial event during a storm, entombing together autochthonous asteroids and ophiurids, and allochthonous crinoids and echinoids on a dysoxic muddy sea-floor. Comparable echinoderm material from the Boreal Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous is scarce, outdated and usually poorly described and illustrated. The scarcity of reported occurrences probably results from a collector bias for rare complete specimens and does not reflect the true echinoderm composition of Mesozoic high-latitude communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]