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Small critter from the Carboniferous of France


paleoflor

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L.S.,

 

Last Sunday, I found the specimen shown below on a spoil tip in northern France (Westphalian C, Late Carboniferous). The three photographs were made under different lighting conditions, in an attempt to illustrate the small scale characters of the about 8 mm-long fossil. It appears to be an abdomen (opisthosoma), perhaps of a trigonotarbida spider or some other arthropod. However, since 'beasties' are definitely not my strongsuit, I would really appreciate your suggestions and help to get this little one identified properly.

 

Thanks,

 

Tim

 

5ae82feeb3f31_2018-04-29FotoA.JPG.6226317c3ba68d14029b1628c0da485f.JPG5ae82fef9168c_2018-04-29FotoB.jpg.6d298bad33e34d7cf8a36e857fde6af5.jpg5ae82ff157df9_2018-04-29FotoC.thumb.jpg.d69bce7589cdb0b19113f0681531581d.jpg

Searching for green in the dark grey.

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Wonderful preservation!
There is quite an array of described Carboniferous spiders, and I haven't been able to come across a perfect match for yours.
Given their comparative rarity, this could easily be a new one.

"There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley

>Paleontology is an evolving science.

>May your wonders never cease!

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Just WOW! Excellent photography. 

"Journey through a universe ablaze with changes" Phil Ochs

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@paleoflor

 

Tim, 

You might e-mail Jason Dunlop for some assistance on this. 

Very cool find! - Hope you can find out more about it. 

Regards,

    Tim    VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

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4a:Aphantomartus areolatus(Pocock,1911)

Not saying this is what you have,of course

Post posting edit:agree with Adam.it's a whopper of a find

 

kir2fteefrettr2m35plwillist.jpg

 

 

 

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That is a terrific find! 

Beautiful fossil. :wub:

Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png.a47e14d65deb3f8b242019b3a81d8160-1.png.60b8b8c07f6fa194511f8b7cfb7cc190.png

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There's also a Pleophrynus from the Carboniferous of the UK that looks a wee bit similar,but has tuberculation on the ventral side

eudgesllifernakristlanthc.jpg

 

 

 

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Wow!!! :faint:

That's a formidable find! Well done! :fistbump:

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

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21 hours ago, Fossildude19 said:

You might e-mail Jason Dunlop for some assistance on this.

 

Thanks for the tip! To keep you informed: Dr. Dunlop could confirm that the fossil likely is a ventral view of the abdomen of an arachnid from the Trigonotarbida order. He further wrote that, based on the quite elongate shape, it could possibly be related to Anthracosiro, a genus known from the Coal Measures of France and England. However, without more of the animal, it was difficult to identify it any further.

Searching for green in the dark grey.

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Tim,

Glad Dr. Dunlop could help you with a tentative ID. 

It really is an excellent find!

Cheers! 

    Tim    VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

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"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."
John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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Also found last Sunday:

 

P1060849.thumb.JPG.20d38a0b45bea7a663d80396f305b377.JPG

 

Height of the image is approximately 4 cm. Without influencing anyone with my own thoughts, I would like to have your interpretation of the structures indicated in blue and green in the annotated version below.

 

5aea2ad5d22ca_P1060849annotated.JPG.302ee7454dc8569f6b61982c1933afd8.JPG

 

Searching for green in the dark grey.

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The green ones remind me of Zoophycos .

 

"Zoophycos occurs in two forms, one planar, and one which resembles a corkscrew."

 

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Thomas Mann

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1 hour ago, paleoflor said:

Also found last Sunday:

 

Height of the image is approximately 4 cm. Without influencing anyone with my own thoughts, I would like to have your interpretation of the structures indicated in blue and green in the annotated version below.

 

5aea2ad5d22ca_P1060849annotated.JPG.302ee7454dc8569f6b61982c1933afd8.JPG

 

 

Tim, 

 

To me, this looks like some cones in cross section (Blue) and some leaf whorls\fiddleheads. (Green)

    Tim    VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

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"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."
John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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I have no idea as to what they are, but to my eye the long thing is two overlapping things:

~~.jpg

"There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley

>Paleontology is an evolving science.

>May your wonders never cease!

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I think @abyssunder is correct about zoophycos, with secondary lamellae pretty obvious. The other may be cruziana.

"Journey through a universe ablaze with changes" Phil Ochs

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Lovely plant and spider specimens! :D

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Thanks for the replies.

 

Regarding the green structures: I never considered ichnofossils before, so @abyssunder's suggestion of Zoophycos is definitely informative. Like @Fossildude19, I was thinking more in the direction of fern croziers or 'fiddleheads'. Reading up on Zoophycos, I noticed that the scale of most literature and Google examples (typically several centimetres) is much larger than the scale of the green structures (each less than a centimetre in diameter). Is Zoophycos known to occur on this small-scale?

 

Regarding the blue structure: I can see why one might think that it consists of two overlapping entities on the basis of the photograph I provided. However, I can firmly state that, it is clearly one single structure when having the specimen in hand. The "overlap" is formed by fractures in the rock, which impose minor offsets. Regardless, however, it is clear that most of you see only vegetative structures (or perhaps a trace of something). I was considering a possible millipede, but my enthusiam about some recent arthropod finds probably got the better of me and affected judgement (simply wishful thinking?)

Searching for green in the dark grey.

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