Texas Day Tripping - Ammonites, Echinoids, Fish Verts and more!

[JamieLynn]

Texas Springtime is my favorite - we haven't had much rain, but the weather is....typical Texas. 60 one day and 90 the next. But I find my tolerance for random temperatures is way better when I am out fossil hunting! So here are some finds from recent excursions. Plus a few shots along the way.....

 

Some local Longhorns. As I head out of my neighborhood, these critters are sometimes out enjoying the Texas sunshine

 

The fossiling started with a nice trip out with Erich Rose to a Glen Rose spot -  first thing I spot is something i've never found in our Central Texas formations....a vertebra!  So exciting!! Turns out it's a large fish -Ichthyodectes. 

Size 3/4 inch

 

 

Also found a lovely big gastropod that Erich ID'd as a Caliopea - I was happy to find a new gastro! 

Size 3 inches

 

Plus something really special - Erich have me a starfish ossicle he found. ( I guess he already had enough to make a starfish? I'm really going to need some more)

Size 1/8 inch

 

 

A week or so later, I hit up a few local Walnut Formation areas, hoping to find a Dumblea echinoid. It is eluding me. No luck, but I did find a REALLY nice Engonoceras stollyi  just sitting at the bottom of an embankment.. waiting for me to find it!  Mother Natures Gift....

 

All cleaned up: 

 

Also found this really beautifully preserved Bivalve Inoperna concentricecostellata  

Size 2.5 inches

 

At another Walnut spot I had some good luck finding Leptosalenia mexicanas

Biggest one is 3/8 inch

 

Back at home, the Redbud was blooming:

 

and the butterflies were landing in the purple verbena

 

Next excursion was out to my favorite Glen Rose location where I picked up some matrix to look at under the microscope. I took my mom with me and she had a good time finding little crab claws and tiny crinoids.  I found a variety of Crinoid Isocrinus anulatus - I am always surprised at the variety of shapes and designs! 

Size 1/8 - 1/4 inch

 

 

Plus some really nice tiny tiny crab claws

 

 

Went to another Glen Rose spot and found this big ole Jackrabbit wondering why I was crawling around on the ground:

 

 

To find the Fossils, silly rabbit! 

Heteraster texanus

size 1 inch

 

 

Gastropod Nerita bonnellensis

Size 1/2 inch

 

Loriolia rosana 

Size 1/2 inch

 

Another day was back out to another couple of Walnut Formation locations

Found a nice, if not complete, Protoengonoceras gabbi

Size 2 inches

(And a special thanks to @erose for the egonocerid paper so I can properly ID these ammos! Turned out a couple I had just labeled as Engonoceras, were actually Metagonoceras and a Platiknemiceras! 

 

Also found this cool, unknown Gastropod (possibly a Natica, but none I could discern that fit the species)

Size 3/4 inch

 

And a really nice (both sides preserved) Bivalve Ludbrookia arivichensis 

Size 1 inch

 

The family took a trip to Enchanted Rock State Park - no fossils here!! Solid Pink Granite batholith. See those tiny people at the top? The rock is huge! And yes, I made it up to the top, but I certainly found out how out of shape this Pandemic has made me!! 

 

To prove I made it:

 

Yesterdays hunt was back out to the Glen Rose, to a spot I had found a couple of interesting echinoids (before I really knew what I was looking for!) so I went back to see if I could find anything else...but literally ALL I found were more of these Plagiochasma echinoids! And a clam.  So I don't know if it was a little nest, or what, but 7 in total, none in great condition, but they are really beautiful (and rare) echinoids.

 

Plagiochasma texanum

Size 1/2 inch

 

And finally, another unknown Gastropod 

Size 1/2 inch

 

I Hope all of y'all are enjoying spring (if it has sprung in your area) or are at least looking forward to it! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JohnJ]

Wonderful images, great fossils and good memories, Jamie!  I would look for Dumblea higher in the Albian.  

[erose]

I'm not sure that's Plagioschasma...  It may be Pygorhynchus....   https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/echinoid-directory/taxa/specimen.jsp?id=2675. If so, that's pretty interesting. Need to pin down the strata. The ones I have are from what I believe is unit 3 of the Upper Member.

 

Are they all that small, 1/2", or are some bigger?  The periproct is barely there and doesn't look indented.

[Darktooth]

Great report and pics!

[JamieLynn]

35 minutes ago, erose said:

I'm not sure that's Plagioschasma...  It may be Pygorhynchus....   https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/echinoid-directory/taxa/specimen.jsp?id=2675. If so, that's pretty interesting. Need to pin down the strata. The ones I have are from what I believe is unit 3 of the Upper Member.

 

Are they all that small, 1/2", or are some bigger?  The periproct is barely there and doesn't look indented.

well that would be interesting. They are all that small.  This is another one. The first one I found.  I just looked them up in the Glen Rose Echinoid paper, and yeah...Plagiochasma has a large periproct like Pygopyrina! I can't believe I missed that obviousness.....so these are Pygorhynchus.....

[JohnJ]

@JamieLynn  Here is a Glen Rose Plagiochasma texanum to compare.

[JamieLynn]

@JohnJ - yep, not at all what I found! Very interesting. 

[erose]

2 hours ago, JamieLynn said:

well that would be interesting. They are all that small.  This is another one. The first one I found.  I just looked them up in the Glen Rose Echinoid paper, and yeah...Plagiochasma has a large periproct like Pygopyrina! I can't believe I missed that obviousness.....so these are Pygorhynchus.....

Did you check the link to the Echinoid Directory?  Is the periproct right at the ambitus (where the test changes from top to bottom) ?  There is a Pygorhnychus species that Bill Thompson described from GR Unit 3.  He had the genus identified by Andrew Smith so the genus name is probably correct.  His specimens are all from one area/location.  I have them from two locals. I would love to know where you found these little ones, but make that a PM please.  PS still trying to figure out that gastropod...

[erose]

OK, back to the "unkown" Glen Rose gastropod with spiral lines preserved....

 

I believe this may be Pleurotomaria glenrosensis Whitney, 1937. The HGMS gastro book describes spiral lines on the upper surface of the whorl.  I have Whitney's paper and it does seem like a very good match.  But I would need to see a better profile of the specimen. Pleurotomaria tends to be a low spire.  In fact this brings me to one small technical suggestion: you need to add some angled light for better definition. I know you use a ring light and that makes for bright and sharp exposures but it also washes out details and form that shadows reveal.

[JamieLynn]

1 hour ago, erose said:

OK, back to the "unkown" Glen Rose gastropod with spiral lines preserved....

 

I believe this may be Pleurotomaria glenrosensis Whitney, 1937. The HGMS gastro book describes spiral lines on the upper surface of the whorl.  I have Whitney's paper and it does seem like a very good match.  But I would need to see a better profile of the specimen. Pleurotomaria tends to be a low spire.  In fact this brings me to one small technical suggestion: you need to add some angled light for better definition. I know you use a ring light and that makes for bright and sharp exposures but it also washes out details and form that shadows reveal.

Cool. Yes, it is very low spire. Sounds like a fit! 

 

I will take some side pics of the echinoid, see if i can discern the periproct. 

[Wrangellian]

Nice trip report and finds! Jealous of all those echinoids you find down there but the other stuff is great too. I was out today for the first time this year because the weather is abnormally splendid.

[erose]

On 4/15/2021 at 4:16 PM, erose said:

I'm not sure that's Plagioschasma...  It may be Pygorhynchus....   https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/echinoid-directory/taxa/specimen.jsp?id=2675. If so, that's pretty interesting. Need to pin down the strata. The ones I have are from what I believe is unit 3 of the Upper Member.

 

Are they all that small, 1/2", or are some bigger?  The periproct is barely there and doesn't look indented.

WEll....so I went and found a few of these for myself. Jamie, you had it correct originally, they are definitely Plagiochasma texanum.  The periproct just seems small and may not be as developed because these are smaller (juvenile?) specimens.

[JohnJ]

On 4/15/2021 at 5:28 PM, JohnJ said:

@JamieLynn  Here is a Glen Rose Plagiochasma texanum to compare.

 

2 hours ago, erose said:

WEll....so I went and found a few of these for myself. Jamie, you had it correct originally, they are definitely Plagiochasma texanum.  The periproct just seems small and may not be as developed because these are smaller (juvenile?) specimens.

 

@erose at 15 mm the periproct is well developed.  I would suppose it is quite evident on smaller specimens too.

[JamieLynn]

I found one amongst the last batch that shows the indented periproct - they are Plagiochasma.  As much as I would like them to by Pygorhynchus.... or maybe there's some of both?

[bthemoose]

Wonderful trip report and finds — thanks for sharing! I’ve always loved Enchanted Rock; I went there often as a kid.

[RuMert]

Very nice finds! Lots of echinoids