White rot fungi humble beginings?

[fossilized6s]

I found this piece last Saturday and it's quite strange. I've never seen a fossil like this. This may sound like a dumb theory, but could this be white rot fungi just starting to form? 99% of the holes are on the woody areas of the fern. The axis is fully covered with holes. I figure if it was normal weathering of the rock/fossil the holes would be everywhere, or at least on the leaves more. Has anyone seen this before?

This is from the late carboniferous period. Mazon Creek, Francis Creek shale.

Edited March 14, 2016 by fossilized6s

[snolly50]

Do a search for "kaolinite" and see if that might be your white deposit. It is common on the Mazon Creek split nodules I have handled.

[fossilized6s]

The white is just calcite. I'm wondering how all of the holes found there way into the woody parts of my fern.

[Rockwood]

My impression is that it may be difficult to rule out diagenetic causes for this.

[Al Dente]

The entire surface of this fossil looks odd. Was it treated with acid?

[abyssunder]

Looks like that the nodule was splitted a long time ago and was exposed to the natural weathering process.

[Auspex]

Weathered, to be sure, but might it have been a fertile frond?

[Fossildude19]

Weathered, to be sure, but might it have been a fertile frond?

This was my thought, as well.

Regards,

[fiddlehead]

This type of random damage was originally thought to be caused by a fungus and given the scientific name Excipulites callipteridis. It is now believed to be caused by the feeding of some type of piercing-and-sucking insect. Yours is a very nice example of the selective feeding different insects employed. This example preferred feeding from the venation. Others would ovoid the veins and feed on the lamina only.

Hope that clears this up some,

Jack

[Auspex]

This type of random damage was originally thought to be caused by a fungus and given the scientific name Excipulites callipteridis. It is now believed to be caused by the feeding of some type of piercing-and-sucking insect. Yours is a very nice example of the selective feeding different insects employed. This example preferred feeding from the venation. Others would ovoid the veins and feed on the lamina only.

Hope that clears this up some,

Jack

Wow! This is a fascinating ichnofossil

FOTM material, for sure

[Troodon]

Very cool and a special find congrat

[fossilized6s]

Thank you very much, Jack. I thought this piece was a bit different. After finding hundreds of ferns, this was my only example of such damage. Very cool.

[digit]

The white is just calcite. I'm wondering how all of the holes found there way into the woody parts of my fern.

Tiny Carboniferous era woodpeckers.

Then as I scrolled down and read Jack's response I see that my joke was not too far off the mark (though woodpeckers didn't exist till the early Cenozoic). Cool fossil and very attentive eye for noticing what the vast majority of others would have missed.

Cheers.

-Ken

[Archie]

What an awesome find!

[fossilized6s]

Tiny Carboniferous era woodpeckers.

Then as I scrolled down and read Jack's response I see that my joke was not too far off the mark (though woodpeckers didn't exist till the early Cenozoic). Cool fossil and very attentive eye for noticing what the vast majority of others would have missed.

Cheers.

-Ken

Now if i can just find the little bugger that did the damage!

[Rockaholic]

Thanks for sharing.Had I found this fossil I my not have been as inquisitive as you with this piece.Glad you pursued your curiosity.

Edited March 16, 2016 by Rockaholic

[Rob Russell]

Great find, Charlie! I'm inclined to look over my fern collection a little more closely. Thanks for your fine explanation, Jack!

[mohsenamini]

I found this piece last Saturday and it's quite strange. I've never seen a fossil like this. This may sound like a dumb theory, but could this be white rot fungi just starting to form? 99% of the holes are on the woody areas of the fern. The axis is fully covered with holes. I figure if it was normal weathering of the rock/fossil the holes would be everywhere, or at least on the leaves more. Has anyone seen this before?

This is from the late carboniferous period. Mazon Creek, Francis Creek shale.

2016-03-13 22.22.07.jpg

very hard to say about this. based on pinnule shape (hemisphere)- Decoration and the main vein that never reached at end of the pinna, low dense of veins, lobes of pinnules and other characteristics it is near genus Pecopteris