Oklahoma Permian Micro Finds

[JamieLynn]

I was supposed to go to a Permian site in Oklahoma when the Paleontological Society of Austin went a few months ago, but I came down with a cold instead! Yay.....  So, my friend brought me back a bag of dirt! Because I love a good bag of dirt! 

 

My friend warned me that they didn't have a lot of surface finds, so I wasn't really expecting much, but I was happily surprised by the finds! The color on these fossils is my favorite part- gorgeous reds and purples!  

 

I know what most of the finds are, but there are a few unknowns, so if anyone can ID, I'd be thankful! Also, if I mis-ID's any thing....

 

All of these are about 3-6mm except the vertebra

Amphibian Trimerorhachis insignis

1.

2.

 

Amphibian Eryops 

3.

4.

 not sure about this one. I don't think it's Eryops.

5.

 

I'm not sure what this is - a claw?

6.

 

a decent sized vertebra - 1/2 inch

7.

 

Orthocanthus compresus

8.

9.

10.

 

I think this is shark cartiledge

11.

A bit of bone?

12.

 

And I have no idea what this is....a denticle perhaps?

13.

 

 

[siteseer]

I think #9 and 10 are pieces of xenacanth shark head spines.

[JamieLynn]

@siteseer - Thanks! looks like I might have one of each. I wasn't aware of the difference till I looked it up just now and found this thread: 

 

[ThePhysicist]

1,2. Fish teeth, there's a thread somewhere that discusses these

3. Amphibian, could be Eryops

4,5. Given the smooth enamel, could be Orthacanth cusps

6. I'm just seeing bone, is there a clear blood groove on each side? (compare:)

7. I've seen ones like these referred to Archeria, but can't say anything with confidence

8. O. platypternus - one cusp is significantly smaller than the other, and they have very flat roots

^ https://geojournals.pgi.gov.pl/agp/article/download/10334/8846

 

11. Agree, Orthacanth cartilage

12. bone

13. Is it flat? Looks like a fish scale

 

[JamieLynn]

@ThePhysicist Thanks for the help!

No, I do not see a blood groove which made me wonder if it was indeed a claw. It literally looks just like the claw sheath that my cat sheds....like the husk of a claw.

And yes, the fish scale is flat. That makes sense it being a scale. 

[jdp]

I think 6 is a piece of scale. Might be a different element but the conchoidal fracture on the surface suggests it's dentine.

 

7 is an embolomere of some sort. Might be Archeria. Might not. What formation is this?

 

12 looks like it might might might be a partial diplocaulid vertebra. Would want to see it from other angles and with a scale bar.

[Al Dente]

10 hours ago, ThePhysicist said:

1,2. Fish teeth, there's a thread somewhere that discusses these

Here’s a thread that discusses these teeth- http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/46676-early-amphibian-tooth-cross-section/&tab=comments#comment-504515