Malcolmt Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 Well every now and then you get lucky and don't even realize it. Was out collecting on Sunday and found what I thought was a few exposed spines of a meadowtownella trilobote. To my surprise when I got home and prepped it , turned out to be something totally different.. Trilo was prepped using 200 mesh dolomite at 20 PSI with a .015 nozzel. Prep time about 15 minutes, very fragile but no consolidant , glue or restoration. Drumroll... as I have never found this species before at this location or anywhere else..... This was found on the surface of a good thousand pound slab in a recent blast pile from the upper part of the verulam exposure at this quarry. Thankfully I had lugged my diamond saw down to the bottom of the pit otherwise this fella would have ended up in the crusher. My buddy Northern Sharks was at the quarry hunting the upper level and never made it down to the bottom (a long trek). I had commented to him over email that I had had a so-so day getting 5 or 6 trilos but nothing spectacular. Now that this is prepped I have changed my mind... I now rate it as a pretty good day. (also found a couple of isotelus, a couple of ceraurus, a very nice syringocrinus and a flexi) I believe it to be an inverted and essentially complete Hypodicranotus striatulus (Walcott) (perhaps pirahna will jump in here with his expertise Notice the partial hypostome whose shape is quite indicative of this species. In fact I may actually have another hypostone in a hash plate matrix that I found a few years ago in the same general that I thought came from a septapsis Trilo is 21mm long by 15.3mm wide 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 That's a trip-maker, for sure. Congrats, Malcolm! ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 Congratulations, Malcolm, on an exceptional and rare find! Regards, Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 I agree with the ID. The hypostome is particularly distinctive. A rare prize indeed. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 Way to go Malcolm. Perseverance pays off. Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolmt Posted April 12, 2017 Author Share Posted April 12, 2017 Roger... our spot is still producing little gems....... It would be out of the same general layer as you got your frog isotelus just 100 meters or so east of there where they are doing new blasting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 Sounds interesting... Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darktooth Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 Nice find! Congratulations! I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranitomeya Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 That is amazing, congratulations! I would have been happy with just an Isotelus or a Ceraurus! Thanks for sharing the picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolmt Posted April 13, 2017 Author Share Posted April 13, 2017 Just heard back from someone who is a lot more knowledgeable than me this is one of the rarest Ontario trilobites to find complete and the identification is correct. He claims that that is me done for the year not allowed to collect anymore. Not the prettiest trilo but definitely going in my display case. Other than the hypsotome I have I have never even seen a piece of this one before. A person who is a significant collector that I often hunt with has never found one and he has spent many more hours at that locality than I have. I wonder if Northern Sharks has ever come across one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesuslover340 Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 Congrats! You should put it in FOTM! "Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another."-Romans 14:19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolmt Posted April 13, 2017 Author Share Posted April 13, 2017 Not that showy a fossil really to warrant FOTM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 Well if people understand how rare it is, they might vote for it anyway. It's nice enough to come home with something decent, but even better to find something you've never found before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Sharks Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 As I said in a private email, congrats on the SUPER-RARE find. I have several of their hypostomes -enough that I don't bother taking them home unless there's something else interesting on the plate, but that is all I've ever seen of these bugs, other than in pictures. There's no limit to what you can accomplish when you're supposed to be doing something else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey P Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 Congratulations Malcolm. A new find by you is definitely something to trumpet about. Thanks for sharing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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