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Lower Carboniferous/Mississippian Coral IDs


Archie

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Hi everyone, looking for some help in identifying some corals from the two beds in the Scottish Lower Limestone Formation, the Hurlet Limestone and the Blackhall Limestone. Both are Visean, Brigantian in age. Any help much appreciated! @TqB  I'm hoping you might recognise them right away :D 

 

First these smaller specimens, all are from various outcrops across Scotland of the Blackhall Limestone. The largest 34mm long. 

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Another from the Blackhall Limestone, this ones a bit larger at 85mm. 

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Another from the slightly older Hurlet Limestone this time, 55mm long.

 

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And another from the Blackhall Limestone again, 9mm.

 

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Sorry for the poor photo quality its been very dull all day so poor lighting.

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Hi Sam - I'm going to be absolutely no help here :unsure:. It needs at least a transverse section to tell one solitary from another I'm afraid! You might have a selection from at least six genera for the larger ones - I know you get a lot of Aulophyllum and Dibunophyllum at least. The smaller ones are either immature versions or belong to a bewildering range of small "zaphrentoid" types that I get bogged down on even with sections!

 

Nice repeated rejuvenescence on the last one. :) 

 

The colonial one is interesting but I don't recognise it. It's possibly (though I doubt it) a very small corallite Michelinia, or it may not be a coral at all. Interesting that it's in a bryozoan bed - I haven't seen anything like it in the Brigantian fenestellid bands in my area yet.

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Tarquin

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Ah I did wonder about that thanks very much for your help though Tarquin! I'll just label them as Rugose corals, thats very interesting about the second last one Ive only ever come across it at one site in Fife but heard it can be found at Trearne as well. Thats also very interesting that the last one is showing repeated rejuvanescence I hadnt realized that!   

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I think I have an ID for the little tabulate coral (which is what it seems to be) - Sutherlandia cf. stasinkae. 

According to the Treatise, the genus has been found in the UK - I'm happy to say it's new to me in this form, though I've heard of it encrusting crinoid stems. 

In Sam's specimen, it seems to be happily growing as a dome on fenestellid debris.

 

From this paper, which describes Polish specimens. https://www.app.pan.pl/article/item/app23-107.html

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Tarquin

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