Need help with identification

[Mr. Rock and Roll]

Maybe some type of Brachiopod, or Coral

[izak_]

Welcome!

Where was this found and how old is it? I have never seen anything like that but thats not really saying much 

[Mr. Rock and Roll]

It was found near Dickson TN and I don't know the age, but considering it was found in a sandstone deposit. I would have to say based on that it is a relatively new fossil. 

[Harry Pristis]

Likely a solitary coral.

[BobWill]

Welcome to the forum. The formation isn't young because it's sandstone. It's sandstone because the sediments the rock formed from were sand and so likely deposited near shore. I collected some corals that were reddish sandstone south of Dickson a few years ago and I believe they were either Pennsylvanian or Mississippian Period, so roughly 300 million years old or more. They were from an unfinished road behind a motel off of Hwy 40. They didn't look like yours but I believe Harry is right with coral. Maybe someone else will know more about them.

[Rockwood]

It should come as no surprise that these are often referred to as button corals. 

[Fossildude19]

@TqB

[TqB]

It's certainly a "button coral".  Of Palaeozoic ones, I don't know of any from the Carboniferous but there a few lower down - this could be Microcyclus sp. which is Devonian (or something similar - there are a few possibilities and a specialist might be needed). Knowing the age would help a lot...

 

Here's the plate from the Treatise - I think the first photo is of the convex calicular (top) surface, like 1d in the plate.

1f is the corresponding basal view. The epitheca (outer layer) isn't very well developed on the base, and was perhaps worn off before burial or is still stuck in the counterpart, so you can see the septa on it as well as on the calicular surface.

There's a similar one called Combophyllum that has no epitheca at all but that isn't listed from the US.