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Silurian ostracod species of the Leighton Formation
Mainefossils posted a topic in Member Collections
In this thread, I hope to share numerous examples of the ostracods of the Leighton Formation. As I identify them to at least genus level, if not species, I hope to post them here. If anyone has a better suggestion for the id, please let me know. First up is a cast of a left valve, female, Hemsiella maccoyianna sulcata. Length is approximately 900 microns. Literature on the subspecies: Copeland, M. J. (1964) Canadian Fossil Ostracoda, Some Silurian Species. Geological Society of Canada 117. https://emrlibrary.gov.yk.ca/gsc/bulletins/117.pdf Martinsson, A. Ostracodes of the Family Beyrichiidae from the Silurian of Gotland. https://paleoarchive.com/literature/Martinsson1962-BeyrichiidaeSilurianGotland.pdf.
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- leighton formation
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The brachiopod fauna of the Leighton Formation is so small that I don't often find one that needs some help with identification. This individual does. The closest brachiopod that has the same characteristics is Eoplectodonta (=Plectambonites) transversalis, but it only occurs in the Dennys Formation. The Dennys Fm has quite a different fauna from the Leighton, but it is the closest thing I could find. My other option was some sort of small spiriferid. I will have to defer to @Tidgy's Dad for this one. Below are two pictures of it, first of the cast, and second of the external mold. Unfortunately, the fossil is rather damaged - the split did not cooperate with it. It is from the Leighton Fm, which is Silurian, Pridolian. Thanks in advance for your help!
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- brachiopod
- eoplectodonta transversalis
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Well, it has been a while since a post on the Silurian Leighton Fm. Had to make a trip due to family matters, and once I got back had a lot of work to do. I finally got into a position to start splitting and prepping more shale, and found this new little guy. I am torn between an operculum of a gastropod, and an inarticulate brachiopod. My main argument for an operculum is because of the shape - the only inarticulate brachiopods in this formation are Orbiculoidea and Pholidops. Unfortunately, I cannot find any reliable papers on the brachiopod Pholidops, it looks very similar but there is quite a bit of variation. The gastropod Australonema (possibly Cyclonema) is found in this formation, and the operculum of the genus is very similar to my specimen. On the other hand, the rarity of such Paleozoic opercula make me think that this is a brachiopod. And now for the specimen itself. It was not found in association with any gastropods, but was next to numerous Nuculites bivalves, some ostracods, and a tentaculite. The pictures below first show the two opposite halves of the specimen - unfortunately one was damaged when the shale split. Thanks for reading!
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- australonema
- fossil identification
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So, I have just found this highly-suspect fossil - my guess is a conodont. I saw it as I was examining pieces of shale, and thought it was worth looking at under the microscope. It seems to have the diagnostic features, even the transition of colors between the blue base and white tips. I was hoping for some of your options on it. If this is a conodont, it would be the first from this formation. My guess would be a Ozarkadina sp - it is a very common Silurian conodont here, and some of the elements look remarkably similar to my specimen. This specimen came from the very fossiliferous layers of this formation, and was found in association with multiple ostracod species (Kloedinia, Londinia, Hemsiella, etc.), T. elongatus tentaculites, and Nuculites corrugatus. This formation is Pridoli, Silurian. Thanks in advance for your help!
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- conodont
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I have just found this little coprolite? yesterday. This is the second time a coprolite-like fossil has turned up in the shale from the Leighton Fm. I am not really sure on this one, though, due to the presence of crinoid stems. The fossil(s) are from the Leighton Formation, Maine; which is Pridoli, Silurian. The main reason I think it is a coprolite is because of its situation in the shale. The rest of the shale around it is relatively uniform, with no fossils whatsoever. The fossils present in it are one crinoid stem, quite a few ostracods, a very small Orbiculoidea brachiopod, and an unidentified piece of rather bluish-black material in the center, possibly some sort of shell. My main concern for its identification as a coprolite is the wide range of rather large fossils in it. I don't know what animal would have had such a diet, except possibly a very large detritivore - but I don't know of any super large ones here. The only animals that I can think of producing coprolites in this formation would be eurypterids, phyllocarids, agnathan fish, and possibly trilobites. A coprolite of this size I would identify as an agnathan fish, but I would defer to some of our fish and coprolite experts for this. @jdp @GeschWhat Below are two photos of the two different sides of the coprolite. If you would like closeup photos of some of the fossils inside the coprolite, I have some available. Just did not want to overload this post with too many photos. Thanks in advance for your help everyone!
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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 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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- brachiopods
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I finished prepping this specimen recently, an unidentified Camarotoechia brachiopod. It exhibits an uncommon/rare orange coloration; only about 1/100 of Camarotoechia brachiopods show it. This one, though, unfortunately has some compression damage on the right side, and some of the ridges have pieces missing. The pictures below first show the pre-prep photo (which I finally remembered to take), and the post-prep. Thanks everyone for reading!
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- brachiopod
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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 just finished preparing this nice pair of brachiopods. I am pretty certain that they are of the genus Salopina, but am not totally positive. The genus is marked as one of the most common brachiopods found in the Leighton Fm, as well as being considered a defining characteristic of this formation. Even though they are so common, I really never tire of them. The way these brachiopods were preserved, though, is rather interesting. @DPS Ammonite kindly acquainted me with the fact that these specimens are not internal molds, as I (pretty sillily) first thought. It seems that these brachiopods were preserved as an internal and external mold, and then the internal mold partly imprinted on the external. This would create a fossil that exhibited characteristics of both the internal and external mold. I unfortunately forgot to take a pre-prep photo of the specimens below. The photo was taken with the specimen wet, to provide more contrast. Thanks for reading!
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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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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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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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- fossil identification
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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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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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This is yet another invertebrate fossil that has perplexed me. In the field I thought it was an ostracod, but under closer inspection it has shown itself to be something different. I don't think that it is a brachiopod piece this time, but bryozoan would possibly fit. Another possibility I thought of was the end of an extremely small trilobite glabella, with a dent running through the center. Yet another possibility is nothing, but it is pretty symmetrical, so I think it is a fossil. I presume it is from the Hersey Formation. I found it on the seashore, and it seemed to be brought by the current. There are ostracods in it that match with what I know of this formation, but I am uncertain. All the formations in the area, though, are Silurian. It is approximately 900 microns long. Here are pictures of it:
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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 prepping out bivalves from the Edmunds Fm. Below are the ones I have prepped and collected so far. Most of them were consolidated with Paraloid. They are all rather incomplete, but still show the characteristics of their respective species. A right valve Eurymyella shaleri. The external mold was practically destroyed, but the cast survived mildly well. It is 5cm long. And a Nuculites corrugatus, with the external mold having survived better this time. The cast, though, shows more detail. Cast is on top, it is 4 cm long; external mold on bottom, it is 5 cm long.
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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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I have always enjoyed drawing, but it is only in the last 2 years or so that I started working on scientific illustration. I have done many living creatures, but this is my first fully rendered fossil. I was hoping that you guys could give me some suggestions for improvements. I did some reconstruction by comparing my main subject with other specimens. It is an Actinopteria bella, rendered using graphite pencils and tortillons, on smooth 2 ply Bristol paper. Thoughts? @Kane, @Ludwigia, @Top Trilo
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- actinopteria bella
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