minnbuckeye Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 A nodule from Mazon Creek opened up this week and revealed a nice fossil. I believe it is a Neuropteris Seed Fern Leaf based on pictures examined. The curious thing is the additional leaves that exit the stem. Is this typical or representative of the species??? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abyssunder Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 (edited) Could it be Macroneuropteris scheuchzeri? Edited February 21, 2022 by abyssunder 1 1 " We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. " Thomas Mann My Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connorp Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 @minnbuckeye Neat specimen. How large is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnbuckeye Posted February 22, 2022 Author Share Posted February 22, 2022 (edited) @connorp, the leaf is 11 cm long. @abyssunder,your ID seems correct to me. Thank you!! Is this a common find?? Edited February 22, 2022 by minnbuckeye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted February 22, 2022 Share Posted February 22, 2022 (edited) Macroneuropteris sp. terminal pinnule plus a couple more pinnules below it. It may be M. macrophylla or M. sheuchzeri, but I'm leaning towards M. macropylla because I don't see the "hairs" common to M. scheuchzeri. Nice specimen. If you take your photos from directly above the specimen you'll get the entirety in focus as opposed to just the middle section, which always helps with ID. Look at the specimen under magnification to see if it has the "hairs" normally found on M. scheuchzeri. I don't see any except maybe one on the section that's in focus. Google it and look at the Wikipedia listing for Macroneuropteris scheuchzeri if you are not familiar with the hair bit. Edited February 22, 2022 by Mark Kmiecik 1 1 Mark. Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnbuckeye Posted February 23, 2022 Author Share Posted February 23, 2022 @Mark Kmiecik, Thanks for the information!! I do not see hairs, but I also did not see them in photos I checked out. So here are close up photos to see if you see hairs. By the way, this specimen is curved so it is tough to keep the whole fossil in focus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 @minnbuckeye I don't see any hairs. If you can see one, normally you can see a bunch of others. I would label this specimen M. macrophylla? until you can can get expert in-hand ID. I know what you mean about curved specimens. Multiple photos as you did is probably the best approach if you can't control the depth-of-field and aperture on the camera you use. I have the same problem, and I'm hoping for an inexpensive camera to come along that will allow it. 1 Mark. Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abyssunder Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 Foliar_forms_of_Macroneuropteris_scheuchzeri_Penns.pdf 1 " We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. " Thomas Mann My Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now