Mediospirifer Posted November 17, 2017 Share Posted November 17, 2017 I love finding multiple fossils. I don't just mean multiple specimens in a single rock, I mean fossils that show evidence of more than one life-form. Shells with burrow traces, for one example. Dung beetle balls. Predation marks. And particularly, epibionts. Here I have a fairly ordinary specimen of the brachiopod Tropidoleptus carinatus. Ordinary, that is, until a closer look is taken.... This specimen supported an variety of other critters on its pedicle valve. Whether the epibionts took hold while the brachiopod was alive, or colonized the dead shell, I don't know; I would speculate the former, as the brachiopod is articulated. I think it is likely that the whole living community was buried together by mud. So who's here? Let's take a closer look. We have several examples of Cornulites hamiltoniae. Some are (relatively) large, while others are very small: Two more Cornulites pictures, then we'll see who else lived here! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted November 17, 2017 Share Posted November 17, 2017 Fascinating. I love this sort of thing too. Bryozoans next ? Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mediospirifer Posted November 17, 2017 Author Share Posted November 17, 2017 Here are the other Cornulites: Cornulites are thought to be tubeworms, although they're still under Incerta sedis in the fossil guides. Here's a different species of (suspected but not certain) tubeworm that lived on this shell, Palaeoconchus angulatus: There are also at least four crinoids that lived here. Species unknown, but at least two, possibly three or four different ones: And one last photo, of what, I'm not sure. Anyone recognize this? It might be the bud of a Hederella colony, or another Cornulites or Palaeoconchus. Or it might not! This specimen was found as surface float. Middle Devonian, Livingston Cty, NY, Kashong member of the Moscow Fm., Hamilton Gp. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mediospirifer Posted November 17, 2017 Author Share Posted November 17, 2017 3 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said: Fascinating. I love this sort of thing too. Bryozoans next ? Other than Hederella, I haven't found much in the way of encrusting bryozoans at this exposure. This specimen didn't have any well-established Hederella colonies, although some others I've found there do. Granted, I've only visited this site once, so I may well have missed a lot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted November 17, 2017 Share Posted November 17, 2017 2 minutes ago, Mediospirifer said: Other than Hederella, I haven't found much in the way of encrusting bryozoans at this exposure. This specimen didn't have any well-established Hederella colonies, although some others I've found there do. Granted, I've only visited this site once, so I may well have missed a lot! I saw the little stars and thought they may be crinoid holdfasts but went for the bryozoan option instead. Oh, well. Thanks for posting, they're lovely. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mediospirifer Posted November 17, 2017 Author Share Posted November 17, 2017 4 minutes ago, Mediospirifer said: Other than Hederella, I haven't found much in the way of encrusting bryozoans at this exposure. This specimen didn't have any well-established Hederella colonies, although some others I've found there do. Granted, I've only visited this site once, so I may well have missed a lot! Let me amend that. I do have some crinoid stem sections and small gastropods (Naticonema lineata) that have bryozoan crusts, but I haven't identified them yet. Hederella is far more common among the pieces I've collected. 3 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said: I saw the little stars and thought they may be crinoid holdfasts but went for the bryozoan option instead. Oh, well. Thanks for posting, they're lovely. I agree! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arizona Chris Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 The cornulites is an excellent find. I learned recently that they are simply encrusting colonial tentaculites. Awesome. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona Chris Paleo Web Site: http://schursastrophotography.com/fossiladventures.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fruitbat Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 I hope all those critters were paying that brachiopod RENT! Great find and great pictures! Thanks for sharing! -Joe Illigitimati non carborundum Fruitbat's PDF Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 Nice community You found! Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mediospirifer Posted November 18, 2017 Author Share Posted November 18, 2017 A few more photos that I overlooked earlier. How did I miss them? Well, the ones I posted are photo-stacked (my first successful stackings!), and got renamed when I saved the composite images. These four were single photos, so they didn't get renamed... Two more Cornulites: And two more unidentified. The first may be another crinoid holdfast: Thanks to all for the comments! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TqB Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 Excellent stuff, I love the cornulitids! Tarquin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brach3 Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 (edited) On 18.11.2017 at 1:21 AM, Mediospirifer said: Whether the epibionts took hold while the brachiopod was alive, or colonized the dead shell Epizoans have attached on the dead shells, because Cornulites sp. (Cornulitida) grow in different directions (Note the orientation of cornulitids towards the anterior commissure). Feeding advantage (see more Vinn O., Adaptive strategies in the evolution of encrusting tentaculitoid tubeworms, 2010): These organisms have benefited from feeding currents generated by the host (Brachiopoda). But, in this case they have benefited from water current only. We can see a lot of epizoans on the pedicle valve, because the brachial valve have been on the mud (dead brachiopod have laid on the sea-floor sediments). And it's laid in steady (stable) position (it has been transfered by current and turned). On 18.11.2017 at 1:21 AM, Mediospirifer said: the whole living community was buried together by mud. Yes, and many many times, because this is interbedded mudstone (coquina/coquina bed) On 18.11.2017 at 1:36 AM, Mediospirifer said: Here's a different species of (suspected but not certain) tubeworm that lived on this shell, Palaeoconchus angulatus: it looks like Microconchida. I am not sure that Palaeoconchus sp. but Microconchida I don't know, do you have Microconchus sp. in N.Y.? On 18.11.2017 at 1:36 AM, Mediospirifer said: There are also at least four crinoids that lived here. 4 in 1... it's very rare fossil on the brachiopods in Russia... How often do you find them on the brachiopods in N.Y. (Are "Crinoid holdfast" common fossils?) On 18.11.2017 at 1:36 AM, Mediospirifer said: And one last photo, of what, I'm not sure. Anyone recognize this? Sometimes Cornulites sp. grows around Palaeoconchus sp. May be it's the same specimen (fossil)? Edited January 11, 2020 by Brach3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now