z10silver Posted November 25, 2012 Share Posted November 25, 2012 Found these two specimens in southern NV. Do you guys think they are Trachyphyllia or Heliophyllum? And how about this one? Some kind of shell? (note the 2 holes in the upper left portion of the fossil) Thanks, Zach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indy Posted November 25, 2012 Share Posted November 25, 2012 The 2 holes on the shell ... My first thought was parasitic borings However, I think they represent spine attachment areas and there are 3 ... the 3rd is not a hole because part of the base of the spine is present ?? Flash from the Past (Show Us Your Fossils)MAPS Fossil Show Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z10silver Posted November 26, 2012 Author Share Posted November 26, 2012 wow, cool! what kind of animal could this be from?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Unfortunately, identification of rugose corals requires thin sections cut both as cross sections and longitudinal sections. In some cases a reasonably confident ID can be made if you know the exact formation and locality a specimen came from, and the local fauna has been well studied using proper thin sections, and the species has distinctive features that can't be misidentified. For example, in the Hamilton Group (Middle Devonian) of Ontario/New York, Heliophyllum halli can be recognized because it has very distinctive yard-arm carinae on the septa; no other solitary corals in the formation have this structure. On the other hand, in the latest Devonian Percha Shale of New Mexico there are a half dozen different genera of solitary corals that look identical from the outside, and there is no way to ID them without thin sections. In your case, you have two specimens that show only a somewhat worn exterior without any distinctive features, and we don't know the age or formation. I'm afraid there is no way to put a name to these specimens without thin sections. The shell is part of a productid brachiopod. I don't know if the holes are broken off spine bases or parasite borings. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z10silver Posted November 30, 2012 Author Share Posted November 30, 2012 Thanks for the info guys. Inyo, this was the same site that produced the brittle stars. (I now know of several people who have found them there). -Zach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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