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Showing results for tags 'acifer'.
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Chitinobelus, a strange and rare belemnite? from the Posidonienschiefer
TqB posted a topic in Member Collections
Extremely rare, I never thought I'd get the chance to acquire one of these so I was very pleased when one came up for sale. Chitinobelus acifer Fischer 1981, a belemnite (or possibly belemnotheutid) whose rostrum was originally composed of aragonite with organic material. As a result, it's preserved as a compressed organic film with the aragonite lost to diagenesis. Belemnites are nearly always mostly calcite (largely thought to be primary) and preserve 3D in all sorts of rock. There is argument (quite complex) over whether this is an unusual aragonitic belemnite or something a bit different. There are prominent striations which are similar to those in the "normal" belemnite, Salpingoteuthis. From the Jurassic, Lower Toarcian Posidonienschiefer of Zell (not far from Holzmaden, Germany). As far as I know, this is the only locality it's been found. Phragmocone chambers just visible.