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Mazon Creek Fern ID Help?


Agos1221

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Hi again!

 

I feel very fortunate to have such great minds helping to ID fossils here. I have one other Mazon Creek fossil that I would like some help with it. It’s a fairly large (5 inch) fossil fern nodule from Mazon Creek. My first question is, is this the common fern species variety Pecopteris? I think it might be but I see some variation within the leaves (that is the fern degree terminations). Is it unusual or rare to find ferns with them still attached to the plant stock/shaft from Mazon Creek? Last question, are the oriented dots on some of the ferns fossilized sporangia? I can’t find comparable examples like this online. Thank you!

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I would say yes to a species of Pecopteris, but I couldn't say which with any certainty due to lack of detail. It looks like some pinnules may be fertile (with sporangia), but again lack of detail due to quality of preservation and lack of photographic focus make it difficult to be sure.

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Mark.

 

Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them!

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That is a very nice piece indeed! The exact taxonomy for Pennsylvanian plants is still tricky for me, this definitely looks like a Pecopteris type, although it may have a different generic name now, perhaps Crenulopteris? I don't think the dots are sporangia, they're too random in size and location. 

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Thanks much, @deutscheben ! i am not too familiar with the Mazon Creek lagerstatte but recently acquired a decent sized collection of specimens.

 

Such a fascinating locale. For example, the Tully monster is such a wonderful phylogenic mystery that has been tormenting me lately. I don't think its a vertebrate, though I'm hardly an expert. More chemical analysis needs to be done to compare the elements occurring in Tully's body and compare those signatures to early vertebrates/invertebrates.

 

I also wonder why Tully only occurs in Mazon Creek. How strange to be so geologically/geographically isolated. Is it really a preservation bias? I suppose that is likely the case but eager to keep following new research on it. 

 

Here is a photo of the best Tully specimen I have in my collection. I had someone help make me the brass armature and stand - think it came out well!

 

Best,

Mark

 

 

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Nice Tully. Beautifully displayed.

 

 

Mark.

 

Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them!

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