9-24-22 Mazon Creek ID (Flora / Fauna)??

[Nimravis]

This is an odd one for me, anyone have any ideas?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[debivort]

Is it half of a fern frond?

[Mark Kmiecik]

3 hours ago, debivort said:

Is it half of a fern frond?

 

I don't think it is flora. I'm leaning toward millipede.

[FossilDAWG]

It does look arthropodish to me as well.  Maybe millipede, but could it be a fragment from an eurypterid?

 

Don

[piranha]

Kjellesvig-Waering, E.N. 1963

Pennsylvanian Invertebrates of the Mazon Creek Area, Illinois: Eurypterida.

Chicago Natural History Museum, Fieldiana: Geology, 12(6):85-106  PDF LINK

[Nimravis]

6 hours ago, FossilDAWG said:

It does look arthropodish to me as well.  Maybe millipede, but could it be a fragment from an eurypterid?

 

Don

I was thinking Eurypterid too when I saw it.

[Nimravis]

6 hours ago, piranha said:

Kjellesvig-Waering, E.N. 1963

Pennsylvanian Invertebrates of the Mazon Creek Area, Illinois: Eurypterida.

Chicago Natural History Museum, Fieldiana: Geology, 12(6):85-106  PDF LINK

Thanks- I have both hard copies, 1948 and 1963.

 

 

Edited September 25, 2022 by Nimravis

[Nimravis]

@RCFossils @stats What do you guys think??

[flipper559]

I would have to say it looks flora to me .

[Nimravis]

44 minutes ago, flipper559 said:

I would have to say it looks flora to me .

I still think it is fauna- especially with the spacing between segments. Looks llkee the segmentation of a eurypterid that I found years ago at Pit 4. My example below is about 3 1/2” long. If the above fossil is in fact one, it would have been pretty big.

 

[RCFossils]

I am leaning more towards this one being flora however I am not ruling out the possibility of it being a eurypterid.

The main reason, that I do not think it is a eurypterid is that I am seeing too many relatively equal width body segments for it to match Adelopthalmus. The segments reduce in width once it transitions to the tail. I also cannot see any telltale signs of the scale pattern that should be preserved on a larger eurypterid (see attached picture).

There are a few plant possibilities but I think the  most likely is a rare form of calamites named Calamites goeppertii. It is the outer surface of the plant instead of a pith cast which is how most calamites are preserved (see picture).

[Nimravis]

Thanks Rob- I was thinking that it might be a larger one, thus the non tapering of the segments.

[RCFossils]

17 hours ago, Nimravis said:

Thanks Rob- I was thinking that it might be a larger one, thus the non tapering of the segments.

Happy to help!

I am enjoying pictures of the wonderful collection you acquired.

Hopefully, I can see some of the more unusual pieces in person someday.

Here is another image of C. goeppertii.

 

 

[Nimravis]

35 minutes ago, RCFossils said:

Happy to help!

I am enjoying pictures of the wonderful collection you acquired.

Hopefully, I can see some of the more unusual pieces in person someday.

Here is another image of C. goeppertii.

 

 

Thanks Rob