Spiny Carboniferous brachiopods

[TqB]

Three productids with most of their spines intact, showing that they looked like hedgehogs. I haven't identified them further largely because I can't see the shells properly.

 

(Edit: likely to be Echinoconchus or similar echinoconchid - see below)

 

These are from a Brigantian (Mississippian) mudstone in NE England, Co.Durham.

 

1) About 6cm across

 

 

2) Interior brachial valve showing spines projecting around the edge from behind. About 3cm across.

 

3) about 4cm across:

[Tidgy's Dad]

How wonderful. I must get some spiny productids. 

And beautiful photographs too.

(ahem) 

[izak_]

Very nice! 

[Arizona Chris]

Those spines are like hair fine.  superb.

[JohnBrewer]

Weird stuff T!

[Jeffrey P]

Remarkable specimens. Congratulations and thanks for sharing them. 

[ynot]

I have heard of "bearded clams" before, but this is the first I have seen!

Nice finds.

[Fossildude19]

These are incredible, Tarquin! 

Very rarely see spines on brachiopods from areas I've collected at. 

Thanks for posting these - a treat to see them. 

 

[FossilDAWG]

You always show us the coolest fossils! 

Don

[Archimedes]

Very nice find.... looks to be an Echinoconchus, they are very common in the upper Mississippian in eastern north America.

[doushantuo]

awesome,Tarq.

Echinoconchus="Dinantian"

 

[doushantuo]

outtake grom Gobbett:

 

Stehli:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[doushantuo]

Larval setae(Terebratalia):

Funnily enough, brach setae are like polychaete ones

[TqB]

Thanks all for the kind comments!

 

@Archimedes Thanks, Echinoconchus looks very likely -  I also had Pustula as a possibility which may be a synonym if @doushantuo's Gobbett reference is current.

 

Ben, great outtakes, I'll try to find the papers. I guess those stunners in the Grant plate are silicified? 

[doushantuo]

Tarq,see the legend to figure one

If ayone has either Orrhage(Zoomorph./1973) or Carsten Lueter 's 2000 Anat. Anz. article ,let me know

the ontogeny and histology of brach spines(setae/chaetae) both get a thorough treatment in those

 

 

[doushantuo]

Lowest Paleozoic brachiopods with protrusions: 

[minnbuckeye]

31 minutes ago, doushantuo said:

Tarq,see the legend to figure one

If ayone has either Orrhage(Zoomorph./1973) or Carsten Lueter 's 2000 Anat. Anz. article ,let me know

the ontogeny and histology of brach spines(setae/chaetae) both get a thorough treatment in those

 

 

 

 

Love the info you provide. But had to especially thank you for the bluebird pictures. My wife and I love bluebirds and love to learn about them! Will have to research this a little more as I had never heard of this.

 

Mike

[doushantuo]

Minn,the reason for those in my signature are very plain & simple: i've been reading a lot about the comparative morphology of bird skulls and vertebrate cranial kinesis 

in general,and the more extravagant examples always draw my attention.

Papers on trochilid functional morphology(--->>>"what makes hummingbirds tick") are rare

Edit: From Vellutini et al.,2016

[ynot]

3 hours ago, minnbuckeye said:

thank you for the bluebird pictures. My wife and I love bluebirds and love to learn about them!

It is a humming bird, not a blue bird.

[minnbuckeye]

Sometimes one types and does NOT look at what one composes. Here is a prime example where proof reading would have caught my mistake. I was out cleaning out my bluebird's houses yesterday and without thinking, wrote bluebird instead of hummingbird. Yes we prefer hummingbirds to bluebirds. Thanks for pointing out the mistake!!!

[TqB]

A couple more specimens from the same site. 

 

Scale in mm.

 

 

[Brittle Star]

Wonderful photos Tarquin, we both have the same specimens so now I know what to call mine. Hope to get back to sorting more of my NE finds over winter.

[TqB]

11 hours ago, Brittle Star said:

Wonderful photos Tarquin, we both have the same specimens so now I know what to call mine. Hope to get back to sorting more of my NE finds over winter.

 

Thanks, I remember you had some. I look forward to seeing more!

[Bobby Rico]

Thanks for showing us Tarquin some great detail shown on the spiny brachiopods . Very crisp with good contrast, you have a good lens there.  I have never seen this brachiopod before it's really strange but beautiful.

 Also @doushantuo post are very interesting too. 

 

Cheers Bobby 

[RJB]

Looks like ive got a newfound respect for the lowly brachiopod.  Very cool fossils!

 

RB