Chen and Yao (1993) described diverse echinoderm communities from Ordovician through Upper Carboniferous rocks in western Yunnan, China—the first monographic treatment of Chinese echinoderms in almost 70 years. This paper is the first in a series of studies re-describing echinoderm taxa from these biogeographically important Paleozoic assemblages. Pentremites globosus Chen and Yao, 1993 is designated as the type species of Sinorbitremites, a new genus of orbitremitid blastoids. Pentremites ovatus Chen and Yao, 1993 is placed in synonymy with Sinorbitremites globosus (Chen and Yao, 1993). Cryptoschisma conicum has been reassigned to Breimeriblastus, a hyperoblastid blastoid.