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I am unsure on the identification of this brachiopod. It is from the Leighton Formation, Maine; which is Silurian, Pridoli. According to Maine's Paleozoic Record (an excellent book that lists all the fauna and flora found in formations across Maine), there are only two Rhynchonellid genera in this formation, Camarotoechia and Rhynchotrema. It does not look like a Camarotoechia, but I cannot find many references for the internal mold of Rhynchotrema brachiopods. I would appreciate any references you have on this genus, as well as any advice on the identification of it (@Tidgy's Dad?).Thanks in advance for your help! Regards, Asher
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I seen this boulder one day driving down my gravel road & threw my back out getting this bad dude in the truck by myself. Probably weighs a couple hundred pounds or more. It's approximately 2'x2'x2'. I seen the formations barely sticking up above the surface & curiosity got the best of me. I figured if it wasn't anything of interest or value I'd at least get some hands on training in prepping a fossil & the painstaking process involved with exposing it. So can anybody tell from the pics if there's any reason to keep etching away at this bad dude? Also what are these formations if they aren't a fossil? I apologise for the pics in advance it was dark when I took them. I only took pics of the top because that's where I've been doing all the etching.
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I have just found this microfossil. It is unfortunately incomplete, but the general shape is still discernible. I have two ideas for this specimen, a fish scale or an inarticulate brachiopod. Of these possibilities, I think that inarticulate brachiopod is more probable. The shape, "growth rings", and slight depression in the top lead me to this conclusion. On the other hand, its size, color, and the absence of such brachiopods from this formation, lead me towards fish scale. I am uncertain on both, and could use some help with this one. The specimen is the from the Leighton Formation, Maine; it is Pridoli, Silurian. Thanks everyone for your time!
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I have found a few Tentaculites specimens from the Leighton Formation, Maine; which is Pridoli, Silurian. I was wondering if it is possible to ID them to species, based on the external molds alone. I have read in a few papers that many tentaculite species are identified by the number and shape of the rings on the shell exterior. Unfortunately, I have not been able to many definitive papers on USA Tentaculites sp, and their identification. The specimen below is only of the external mold. This is the best preserved, as well as smallest, of the specimens that I have collected. So, is it possible to ID this specimen to species, or is it not complete enough? Thanks in advance for your help!
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- fossil identification
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I have just finished preparing this little fossil. I really have not seen anything like it. It reminds me of a eurypterid head fragment, or something similar, but the ridges on the "internal mold" are perplexing. Also, it is horizontally symmetrical, suggesting a scale or segment. It is from the Leighton Formation, Maine; which is Pridoli, Silurian. The pictures below first show the "internal mold" under raking light, than of it under direct light. The third picture is of the "external mold" under direct light. It does not have any surface detail that would be brought out by raking light. Thanks in advance for your help!
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So, I have been preparing this nice little gastropod. I have seen five other specimens that shared the same characteristics, but, unfortunately, some of them did not make it. Before I continued to prep this one, I was wondering if it is possible to roughly ID this gastropod. It would greatly facilitate prep work to have a good idea of its shape. All the specimens I have seen have had three whorls. The upper two whorl's ridges are almost absent, this has been consistent through all my specimens. The shape of the shell is coeloconoid. It was found in the Leighton Formation, Maine; which is Pridoli, Silurian. The pictures below are of the specimen under direct, then raking light. The third picture is the external mold under direct light. Thanks in advance for your help! @MikeR @Rockwood
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I have read in multiple papers that there are three theories to the preservation of thelodont scales. First, a rapid burial when the thelodonts have died under still circumstances, e. g., in a lagoon or other still body of water. This results in associated scales. Second, the thelodonts die and disintegrate in the open ocean, leaving behind disassociated scales. Third, the thelodonts were eaten, and deposited as coprolites. Now, I have just found an array of thelodont scales in a single small spot. The stone they are preserved in is a lighter color than the rest of the shale. The majority of the scales are Phlebolepis elegans, with one being of a Thelodus parvidens. I was wondering if it could be an example of a coprolite? It is from the Leighton Formation, Maine; which is Pridoli, Silurian. The pictures below first show the cross section of the specimen, and then the top of it. I will take pictures of the individual scales as soon as possible. It is rather hard to see the cross sections in the pictures, but the bluish pieces are thelodont scales. Unfortunately, I don't think it will be able to be prepped without destroying some of the details. Thanks in advance for your help! @GeschWhat @Rockwood @jdp
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So, in a previous post, I asked for the identification of a piece of an orthocone nautiloid. The general consensus was that it was a Spyroceras sp, or related genera. Now, I have found two specimens, which show some of the characteristics that that piece had. I first thought that they were nautiloids, but since they both had the same general structure and orientation, I began to wonder if they are Conularids. The morphology does not seem right, namely the separation between parts of the internal mold and its large segments; but I am at a loss to think of something better. The two specimens are shown below. In the first picture, the first specimen is shown. I did not recover the other side of it, as I had to prep this specimen out. The bottom of the specimen is of the internal mold, while the top of it is of the external. The second picture is of a closeup of the top of the first specimen. The third and fourth pictures are of the second specimen. The third picture shows the external mold on the left, and the internal mold on the right. The fourth picture is orientated in the same way. The scale is in millimeters. Both specimens are from the Leighton Formation, Maine; which is Silurian, Pridoli. Thanks in advance!
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When I first started prepping this one, only the tip of the bottom right corner was showing. I initially that that it was a trilobite free cheek, which is quite a common find for this formation. About half-way through, I realized that it was not what I had initially thought. Now that I see it fully prepped, I have absolutely no idea what it is. Approximately half of it had crumbled before I started preparing it, due to the soft siltstone it was preserved in. Any help would be greatly appreciated. The pictures are taken with direct light, as there are no small details on the surface that will be shown with raking light. The scale shown is in millimeters. It is from the Leighton Formation; which is Silurian, Pridoli. Here are the photos:
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I have been finding these small little fossils all through my specimens from the Leighton Formation, which is Pridoli. I suspect that they are myodocope ostracods, but I haven't found any ostracods that match it from my available literature. The specimen below appears to be an association of two valves. Each individual valve has a small protuberance in the middle, with two pits next to it; they are approximately 4 millimeters long, by 1.5 millimeters wide. The pictures below are first of photo with direct lighting, then a photo with raking light, to show the protuberances. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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I found this in Black Hawk County Iowa. It is approx. 9cm x 11cm x 3cm. My guesses are always wrong even when (or especially when) I use Google images so I'm looking forward to being in the right spot for help. Thanks
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This is another fossil that has me stumped. I think that there is a possibility of bryozoan, because of the pits, but I remain unconvinced. It is from the Leighton Formation, which is Pridoli. The pictures below are of the fossil under raking lighting, to show the pits, then of it under lighting from directly above, and finally with scale (mm). Thanks everyone!
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I have been going through my collection, and came across this fossil. It is from the Leighton Formation, Maine, which is Pridoli. It is preserved in a gray shale. I was thinking that it might be a Receptaculid, but that did not seem to quite fit. In the pictures below, the top is of the cast of it, and the middle photo is the external mold, and the furthest down is it with scale (millimeters). Thanks everyone for your help!
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Hi, I inherited some fossils from my father, and I am trying to identify them. Can someone tell me what kind of fossil is in the attached photo? Also, during shipping, the crack in the plate occurred. Does that affect the value of the overal plate significantly? Thanks in advance for assistance! SVG
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I wanted to start this thread on the identification and discussion of silurian fish remains. I have been learning a lot about this subject, and hope to share my own finds and discoveries with you. I also hope that this thread will not only include my finds, but finds of all members of the Fossil Forum who have such materials, so that we may share our knowledge on these amazing fish. Some of our members( @jdp, ... ) are quite knowledgable on such finds, and I am looking forward to working with you guys more. On each post, please include size, stratigraphic data, and taxonomy, if known. I look forward to seeing your specimens.
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Found in a rock collection at a friends house this weekend.
Shelley Nasby posted a topic in Fossil ID
I do not know where this fossil was found, the owner passed last year. I saw this in his 'rock pile'. He is from Oregon and frequently fished the coast and had a cabin in Summer Lake, Oregon and frequently hunted in this area of the high desert. It looked like a tooth to me. It has 18 ridges, it is 177.8mm long by 60mm wide and thickness is approximately 50 mm at the thickest part. I am just curious if anyone might know what it it. I thought it might be a tooth of some kind. Thank you kindly.
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This is a another specimen from the Leighton Fm, Maine, Silurian. I uncovered it a while ago, and at first thought that it was a crinoid stem. On second look, though, I realized that the segments on the "stem" were curving inwards, instead of outwards. Furthermore, what I first that was the stem fading into the rock was actually the width and depth decreasing. I am torn between a Tentaculites sp., which is not known specifically from this formation but shows superficial resemblance to this specimen; and a small orthocone nautiloid, which is known from this formation. Any help on its id would be appreciated. Here are some pictures of it:
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This is my first almost complete internal mold of an orthocone nautiloid. It is from the Leighton Fm, Maine. From the little I can see of the external mold, I believe it to have the same grooves as in the Possible Fossil Coral post, but I am unsure. Help on the general id of it would be greatly appreciated. Here are some pictures of it:
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Actinopteria bella is a species of bivalve found in the Leighton/Pembroke Fm, and first described by Henry S. Williams. It is differentiated from A. fornicata by less convexity in its shell and a wider beak. It is differentiated from A. dispar by its shorter shell. The above pictures are of the left valve. A poorly preserved original or cast of the shell exterior is on the left side. Some of the exterior of the shell may be missing since the exterior ribs have less than normal height. The right photo is an exterior impression or mold. Some of the shell may be present on the right side of the photo. Williams, Henry Shaler (1913). "New species of Silurian fossils from the Edmunds and Pembroke Formations of Washington County, Maine." Proceedings U.S. National Museum, 45, 319-358. https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/14399/1/USNMP-45_1985_1913.pdf Maine Geological Survey (2009). Virtual Tour of Maine's Fossils. https://digitalmaine.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1575&context=mgs_publications
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Fossil forum, I have just finished uncovering a gnathasome fish scale. It is from the Leighton Fm, Maine. I believe it to be in the genus Gomphoncus, maybe even Gomphoncus sandelenis, which was described as being in the Eastport Formation (https://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/ageo/2018-v54-ageo04224/1055415ar.pdf). I am unsure of this id though, mainly because of the pit in the largest end of the scale. It is approximately 200 microns long by 250 microns wide by 200 microns deep. Any help on the id of the genus, or maybe even the species, would be greatly appreciated. Here are some pictures of it:
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Fossil forum, I just uncovered this possible fossil. It is from the Leighton Fm. To be honest, I am not sure it is actually a fossil, but I wanted to check. I was thinking that it could be a conodont element, but am unsure. Any help on its id would be helpful. Here are some pictures of it:
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Fossil forum, This is another brachiopod from the Leighton Fm. It is a rhychonellid, but I am unable to identify it to the genus. I originally thought it was Rhychonella, but I see problems with this id. Any help would be appreciated. Here are some pictures of it (1-4 are internal molds, 5 is a separate specimen same species external mold) :
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Fossil forum, I recently found an interesting fossil. I was thinking coral or bryozoan, but was unable to identify it correctly. It is from the Leighton Fm Maine (again), which is Silurian. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Here are some pictures of it:
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Fossil Forum, I recently found multiple brachiopods that I believe are in the genus Salopina, moved from Orthis, and of the same species. I found them in the Leighton Fm, Maine, which is Silurian. I was wondering if anyone could tell me what the species was, and also if anyone had any literature on this genus. Here are some pictures of them (internal molds are on the left, external on the right):
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Fossil Forum, I recently found a single ostracod in a fossiliferous rock I collected from the Leighton Fm. The formation is Silurian. I was thinking there was a possibility that it was Zygobeyrichia devonica, which I saw mentioned as being in the Chapman Sandstone at this website https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/0089/report.pdf, but the valves did not match, and the formation was not Silurian. Here are some pictures of it:
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