New fish plate - Gosiutichthys or Knightia? - Determined! Gosiutichthys parvus

[Fossildude19]

I just received this multi fish plate in the mail yesterday. 

It was a bargain from our favorite auction site. 

Not quite sure if it is a plate of Gosiutichthys parvus, or Knightia eocaena.   

 

The description listed them as small Knightia sp. (eocaena, most likely), but I know many of the Green River fish on the auction site are mis-identified.

 

The individual fish look like Gosiutichthys to me. The largest one on the plate is about  2.25 inches.

They seem to have the upward mouth gape, and the dorsal fins appear to me to be a bit more anterior of the center of the fish. 

I haven't gone as far as counting the fin rays yet, but am able to if necessary, (which is looking more likely ). 

Any thougths appreciated. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PFOOLEY]

Awesome slab!

[Fossildude19]

45 minutes ago, PFOOLEY said:

Awesome slab!

 

Thanks, Mike.  

I was happy to get this - the shipping cost more than the fossil!  

[snolly50]

Excellent photos. I wish all posts displayed the fossils so clearly. 

[Fossildude19]

21 minutes ago, snolly50 said:

Excellent photos. I wish all posts displayed the fossils so clearly. 

Thank you, Sir Snolly.   A compliment I will gladly take, coming from you!  

 Natural outdoor, late afternoon lighting, combined with a bit of photo editing helped to bring out these fish. 

They are very faint, and hard to make out otherwise. 

[Pagurus]

Ooh, look at all those little fishies! Wouldn't it be fun to split the rock and find these little guys? Good luck with ID's, Tim. Whatever they are, they're a great addition to your collection. Nice buy!

[Fossildude19]

 

27 minutes ago, Pagurus said:

Ooh, look at all those little fishies! Wouldn't it be fun to split the rock and find these little guys? Good luck with ID's, Tim. Whatever they are, they're a great addition to your collection. Nice buy!

Thank you, Mike.  

 

[ynot]

Nice plate!

Maybe @FossilDudeCO  can help, but He seems to be missing.

[Fossildude19]

3 minutes ago, ynot said:

Nice plate!

Maybe @FossilDudeCO  can help, but He seems to be missing.

And has been, for a while!   

Hope all is well with Blake. 

 

Maybe @RLG  will pop in to help out, as well.   

 

[JimB88]

they look like Gosiutichthys to me as well, but Im no expert. Awesome acquisition though!

[jpc]

According to Grande 1984, anal fins seems to be the easiest way to ID them... I see about 10 anal fin rays in your past photo.  G has 9-11, K has 13-15.  The other main difference is actually where they are found; G is is found in Lake Gosuite deposits (closer to Rock Springs and Green River) and K is found in all three fossil lakes.  G is NOT found in the classic quarries around Kemmerer that many of you are familiar with.  

 

I am saying Gosiutichtyes. 

 

Nice find.  Fossils from these non-Kemmerer quarries is harder to to find. 

[Fossildude19]

38 minutes ago, JimB88 said:

they look like Gosiutichthys to me as well, but Im no expert. Awesome acquisition though!

Thanks Jim.  

It was a species not represented in my collection, until now. 

 

38 minutes ago, jpc said:

According to Grande 1984, anal fins seems to be the easiest way to ID them... I see about 10 anal fin rays in your past photo.  G has 9-11, K has 13-15.  The other main difference is actually where they are found; G is is found in Lake Gosuite deposits (closer to Rock Springs and Green River) and K is found in all three fossil lakes.  G is NOT found in the classic quarries around Kemmerer that many of you are familiar with.  

 

I am saying Gosiutichtyes. 

 

Nice find.  Fossils from these non-Kemmerer quarries is harder to to find. 

 

Thanks JP. I appreciate the overview, and distinctions.  Not a bad buy for six bucks.  

[abyssunder]

That's a really nice fish plate !

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

6 bucks?

Golly! 

Lovely plate, but it's clearly bad luck or they wouldn't have been giving it away. 

[Fossildude19]

Well, I think I was correct in my original thoughts here. 

Going through Grande,1982 , A Revision of the Fossil Genus Knightia, With a Description of a New Genus From the Green River Formation

I came upon this figure of bone counts for verts, fin rays, pterygiophores, etc. 

 

 

The counts I made on a few of the fish match the parameters given for Gosiutichthys parvus, as  @jpc  pointed out on the anal fin ray count. 

Rib, vertebra, and pterygiophore counts were a match as well. 

Thanks everyone for chiming in.  

 

[Auspex]

And herein is a splendid example of roll-up-your-sleeves Paleontology:

Begin with intuition born of previous experience, and confirm it with facts in evidence.

A lesson in good science for all who happen across this thread (which ought to be thousands of folks).

 

[Kane]

This is a spectacular plate, and absolutely display-worthy! 

[Fossildude19]

23 minutes ago, Auspex said:

And herein is a splendid example of roll-up-your-sleeves Paleontology:

Begin with intuition born of previous experience, and confirm it with facts in evidence.

A lesson in good science for all who happen across this thread (which ought to be thousands of folks).

 

 

Thanks, Chas.  

7 minutes ago, Kane said:

This is a spectacular plate, and absolutely display-worthy! 

Thanks Kane.  

Very pleased with this purchase - a great addition of a genus I didn't have represented in my collection, before.

It may not be as showy as some, but all of the pertinent details are there. Multiple times.  

[caldigger]

Now all you have to do is finish it off by painting them all in with a solid brown color.  

Of course add in any details you may find necessary or missing from the fish.

[Fossildude19]

Uggh.   

THATS not gonna happen.  

That is a sure way to ruin a perfectly good fossil, if you ask me.

I wish they'd stop doing that. 

 

[caldigger]

I agree!!!!!

[ynot]

1 hour ago, caldigger said:

Of course add in any details you may find necessary or missing from the fish.

EW EW, don't forget the horns!!

[jpc]

Better than paint, since most of these are impressions, low angle lighting will make them jump out.  Do it, Tim.  

[Fossildude19]

17 minutes ago, jpc said:

Better than paint, since most of these are impressions, low angle lighting will make them jump out.  Do it, Tim.  

 

 

Actually, the seller had a picture of that type of presentation, so, I may have to do something similar.

That's the one that caught my attention.  

 

 

 

 

Thanks again for the help, JP.  

[Shamalama]

Heck of a bargain. JPC is correct that getting good stuff for cheap from Lake Gosuite is tough. Especially some of the old material from the Farson Fossil locality (which is BLM land anc you cannot collect on). Yours does not look like it's from Farson but def. in the area.