Unfamiliar crinoid from Mineral Wells

[mkspsa]

I was going through some material I collected circa 2001 and found a crinoid that is not familiar to me.  Any ideas would be appreciated.  This is from the Mineral Wells Dump borrow pit, aka the Fossil Park.  Top and bottom, scale bars in mm.

 

Mike

Edited March 7, 2023 by mkspsa

[connorp]

Nice specimen. Can't help with the ID, but I will attach this Pennsylvanian Echinoderm Guide from the DPS if you haven't seen it.

2098362063_PennsylvanianEchinodermGuide.pdf

[ClearLake]

In McKinzie and McLeod's 2015 Color Guide to Pennsylvanian Fossils of North Texas, there is a Lecythiocrinus (White 1879) on page 200 that looks very similar to your specimen with all the numerous, smooth polygonal plates.

 

.

[mkspsa]

That's got to be it.  Embarrassing that I didn't check more carefully.  Thx.

[mkspsa]

Its interesting.  I started digging a bit and I don't think the Color Guide is correct.  White describes Lecythiocrinus as having 3 basal plates, 5 subradials, and 5 first radials for a total of 13.  His images are figures 4 and 5 in the yellow page below.  And in Moore and Strimple (citation below) Lecythiocrinus asymmetricus is figured in Plate 4, 1a, 1b, and 1c.  Neither of these looks anything like my specimen or the one in the Color Guide.

 

From Index Fossils of NA this looks more like Acrocrinus.  I need to look at the Treatise.

 

Moore, R.C.; Strimple, H.L. Lower Pennsylvanian (Morrowan) crinoids from Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. University of Kansas Paleontological Contributions, Echinodermata Article. 60 (12): 1–84. 1973

[ClearLake]

11 hours ago, mkspsa said:

Its interesting.  I started digging a bit and I don't think the Color Guide is correct.

Well dang, I agree that doesn't look much like it.  I'm no crinoid expert, but it doesn't  even seem close.  The book does say "there appears to be more plates on the specimen than the other described species..." but even so, it still seems quite different.  The illustration in the Treatise of Lechythiocrinus is identical to what you have shown above and none of the other members of the family look any thing like your specimen.  I unfortunately do not know enough about crinoid classification to even narrow it down, short of paging through all 1000 pages of the Treatise to try and find soimething similar.  Maybe @crinus could point you in a better direction.  Sorry.

[ClearLake]

11 hours ago, mkspsa said:

looks more like Acrocrinus.

I missed your suggestion here.  Yes, that looks much closer.  In looking through the Treatise, there are several genera in the family Acrocrinidae such as Globacrocrinus or  Dinacrocrinus that might be even closer and appear to be the right age.  Interesting...

 

 

   

[mkspsa]

Excellent.  Based on the number of rows of plates, it's more like Globacrocrinus.  I'll read the Treatise descriptions.  Thanks.

[crinus]

Sorry but I didn't see this till just now.  I have been busy cleaning a plate of Acrocrinus so when I saw the first pic, that is exactly what I thought.  Then I followed the thread and  agreed with CLearLake not looking at anything carefully.  But in the end I have to agree that it is some kind Acrocrinid.  Glad you got there without my help not that I would have been of any help.  I am just not all that familiar with Pennsylvanian material.  Not much of that around here.

Joe