Wheeler Shale Unknown

[Huntonia]

Hey guys, I found this last month in the Wheeler Shale in Utah, and I'm at a total loss as to what it is. I showed it to a friend who collects there regularly and he wasn't sure what it is either. He suggested it might be a carpoid or something similar. It's ever so slightly raised on the matrix. Does anyone recognize it?

Scale in inches:

[IsaacTheFossilMan]

Trilobite fragments?

@Top Trilo @Kane could it be?

[Top Trilo]

6 minutes ago, IsaacTheFossilMan said:

Trilobite fragments?

@Top Trilo @Kane could it be?

Thanks Isaac, but you should know I'm not that good at identifying. 

 

Not sure what fossil you got Isaac but someone else probably does.

[IsaacTheFossilMan]

4 minutes ago, Top Trilo said:

Thanks Isaac, but you should know I'm not that good at identifying. 

 

Not sure what fossil you got Isaac but someone else probably does.

 

Ah, it's not my fossil! I'm not too good on my trilobites, could a single "plate" look like this?

[Top Trilo]

43 minutes ago, IsaacTheFossilMan said:

 

Ah, it's not my fossil! I'm not too good on my trilobites, could a single "plate" look like this?

Yes, I know its not yours, I should have been more specific, both of you guys are named Isaac. 

 

If it is a trilobite part I would have no idea which part. I don't think it would be part of a cephalon because I don't see any facial suture. It is very plain and flat for it to be part of the thorax and doesn't really look like any part of the trilobite pygidiums that are found there.

[IsaacTheFossilMan]

56 minutes ago, Top Trilo said:

Yes, I know its not yours, I should have been more specific, both of you guys are named Isaac. 

 

If it is a trilobite part I would have no idea which part. I don't think it would be part of a cephalon because I don't see any facial suture. It is very plain and flat for it to be part of the thorax and doesn't really look like any part of the trilobite pygidiums that are found there.

 

 

Alright! Thanks for the help, completely stuck when it comes to trilos... 

Anomalocaris or some other relative?

 

 

[IsaacTheFossilMan]

Looks a bit like the plating on a eurypterid? Honestly no idea, way out of my age range so just throwing thoughts and seeing what'll stick!

[debivort]

My colleague who studies the Wheeler shale professionally had this to say:

"the possibility that it could be a carpoid works well for me. These are super weird eechinoderms that have a thickened margin. I can see something akin go that in this fossil. Not very arthropody as far as I can tell  https://mem.lyellcollection.org/content/memoirs/38/1/157/F4.large.jpg

the interpretation here is that it could be a marginal frame, and here is a paper with the echinoderms from wheeler for comparison: "

paleo.paper.120.pdf

[IsaacTheFossilMan]

1 hour ago, debivort said:

My colleague who studies the Wheeler shale professionally had this to say:

"the possibility that it could be a carpoid works well for me. These are super weird eechinoderms that have a thickened margin. I can see something akin go that in this fossil. Not very arthropody as far as I can tell  https://mem.lyellcollection.org/content/memoirs/38/1/157/F4.large.jpg

the interpretation here is that it could be a marginal frame, and here is a paper with the echinoderms from wheeler for comparison: "

paleo.paper.120.pdf 9.43 MB · 0 downloads

 

Interesting things, they are! Would you be able to ask them what their train of thought is here? I'd love to learn!

Edited July 11, 2022 by IsaacTheFossilMan

[debivort]

Here's what he had to say: "

the fossil does appear to be mineralized, rather than a carbonaceous impression (which would have a typically darker and possibly grainy appearance). My sense is that the inner side of the curvature is covered by sediment given its irregular outline whereas the outside of the curvature appears to be more representative of the actual morphology. It is entirely possible that a bit of prep work would reveal better what it is. However, do bear in mind that this is going from a photograph of sub-optimal fossil presrevation, so I would be inclined to think it is a carpoid, but I would not really bet money on it ... but there is only so much I can say from the material as it is "
 

 

 

[IsaacTheFossilMan]

19 minutes ago, debivort said:

Here's what he had to say: "

the fossil does appear to be mineralized, rather than a carbonaceous impression (which would have a typically darker and possibly grainy appearance). My sense is that the inner side of the curvature is covered by sediment given its irregular outline whereas the outside of the curvature appears to be more representative of the actual morphology. It is entirely possible that a bit of prep work would reveal better what it is. However, do bear in mind that this is going from a photograph of sub-optimal fossil presrevation, so I would be inclined to think it is a carpoid, but I would not really bet money on it ... but there is only so much I can say from the material as it is "
 

 

 

 

 

Cheers bud! Appreciate it.

[Huntonia]

On 7/11/2022 at 7:09 AM, debivort said:

My colleague who studies the Wheeler shale professionally had this to say:

"the possibility that it could be a carpoid works well for me. These are super weird eechinoderms that have a thickened margin. I can see something akin go that in this fossil. Not very arthropody as far as I can tell  https://mem.lyellcollection.org/content/memoirs/38/1/157/F4.large.jpg

the interpretation here is that it could be a marginal frame, and here is a paper with the echinoderms from wheeler for comparison: "

paleo.paper.120.pdf 9.43 MB · 3 downloads

Great! Please tell him I really appreciate the help with the ID! And thanks to you for reaching out to him!