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Max-fossils

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Hi all,

 

A handful of days ago there was a sand pile right in my neighborhood. Not sure why it was there, probably someone was making constructions to their house, but in any case I was happy. That's because that kind of sand comes straight from the North Sea, which is full of Eemian fossil sediments! So I took a little plastic bag and spent an hour or two looking in that pile of sand for fossils. The very common Eemian bivalves came up abundantly (so species like Mactra plistoneerlandica, Cerastoderma edule, C. glaucum, Macoma balthica, etc), but that is not what I was too excited about. Seeing that the sand pile was rather small, it forced me to focus on just that little pile. Which is great, because therefore I actually started looking much more closely, and hereby also collecting tiny micro-fossils! Lots of gastropods, which is awesome because these are not as common as bivalves in these sediments. I namely found a complete yet puny Anomia ephippium, some very small Cerastoderma's, and also the ones attached. 

I would love to be able to bring these down to species level. So I am asking for your help!

 

The Hague, Netherlands (from North Sea sediments)

Eem Formation

Eemian, Pleistocene; 120'000 y

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Max

 

 

#1: Looks a little bit like Macoma balthica, but still a bit different... Very likely from the Tellinidae

 

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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

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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#2

I think from the Truncatelloidae superfamily?

 

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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

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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#3

From the Naticidae family I'm pretty sure. 

 

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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

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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#4

Also from the Truncatelloidea?

 

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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

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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#6

 

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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

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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#7

 

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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

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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#8

From the Astartidae family 

 

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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

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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Nice finds! :)

Don't think i can help narrow them down any further, though. 

Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

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I am not an expert with Dutch Plio-Pleistocene but iI will give it a go. I think Mactridae instead of Tellinidae, Veneridae instead of Astartidae and the rams horn snail might be Planorbidae.  The other looks somewhat like Succinea a semi-aquatic land snail but I am not sure.

 

Mike

"A problem solved is a problem caused"--Karl Pilkington

"I was dead for millions of years before I was born and it never inconvenienced me a bit." -- Mark Twain

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Belay that.  Not Mactridae but Semelidae.  Link

 

The other small bivalve is known unofficially as an LWC (little white clam).  There are a lot of different kinds which require a lot of research to identify correctly.

 

Mike

 

"A problem solved is a problem caused"--Karl Pilkington

"I was dead for millions of years before I was born and it never inconvenienced me a bit." -- Mark Twain

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1 hour ago, MikeR said:

The other small bivalve is known unofficially as an LWC (little white clam).  There are a lot of different kinds which require a lot of research to identify correctly.

 

Mike

 

Mike, when posting the scientific nomenclature please use italics!

Little white clam. ;)

 

 

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1 hour ago, caldigger said:

Mike, when posting the scientific nomenclature please use italics!

Little white clam. ;)

:dinothumb:

"A problem solved is a problem caused"--Karl Pilkington

"I was dead for millions of years before I was born and it never inconvenienced me a bit." -- Mark Twain

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18 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Nice finds! :)

Don't think i can help narrow them down any further, though. 

Thanks Adam. They were especially fun to find. It was the first time that I was looking for micro-fossils outside. 

 

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

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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@MikeR thanks for the help!

I agree with Semelidae for #1.

Does LWC refer to #7? If so, I'll just keep it as Bivalvia indet.

I'm ready to believe you for #8 being Veneridae, because the hinge is indeed more indicative of that one, but I'm not aware of any Veneridae with an outer sculpture that is so Astarte-like. What genus/species did you have in mind?

 

Then for #4, Succinea does seem to fit morphologically, but how would that be possible, considering that the sediments are marine (and Succinea is terrestrial)?

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

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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41 minutes ago, doushantuo said:

anybody interested in this?

 

 

Yes please! I still need to find a good way to keep my micro-mollusks in my collection. 

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

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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20 hours ago, Max-fossils said:

#8

From the Astartidae family 

Astarte sulcata?

That species occurs in the Eem formation and is still alive today.

 

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Just now, gigantoraptor said:

Astarte sulcata?

That species occurs in the Eem formation and is still alive today.

 

Possibly. Does seem like a good match. Then again the hinge is a little different so I'm not sure.

Also, did they get this small? Or perhaps mine is a juvenile?

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

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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Just now, Max-fossils said:

Possibly. Does seem like a good match. Then again the hinge is a little different so I'm not sure.

Also, did they get this small? Or perhaps mine is a juvenile?

The smallest (fossil) one I ever saw was 11 mm, so yes I see this is as a possibility.

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Just now, gigantoraptor said:

The smallest (fossil) one I ever saw was 11 mm, so yes I see this is as a possibility.

Alright size is not a problem then. 

Still not 100% convinced of the hinge.

 

It's a weird shell, because the hinge is really Veneridae-like as @MikeR said, but the sculpture is so much more like the astartes! :headscratch:

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

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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1 hour ago, Max-fossils said:

@MikeR thanks for the help!

I agree with Semelidae for #1.

Does LWC refer to #7? If so, I'll just keep it as Bivalvia indet.

I'm ready to believe you for #8 being Veneridae, because the hinge is indeed more indicative of that one, but I'm not aware of any Veneridae with an outer sculpture that is so Astarte-like. What genus/species did you have in mind?

 

Then for #4, Succinea does seem to fit morphologically, but how would that be possible, considering that the sediments are marine (and Succinea is terrestrial)?

 

If your shell were from my side of the Atlantic I would call it Chione LINK.  Veneridae has undergone a lot of revision within the past decade.  I am presently working on recent Mexican mollusks from the Gulf of California and have found that older books describing Veneridae including Chione have different generic names as shown here LINK.  If the sediments are Pleistocene, you might identify it within a recent shell book describing North Sea mollusks.

"A problem solved is a problem caused"--Karl Pilkington

"I was dead for millions of years before I was born and it never inconvenienced me a bit." -- Mark Twain

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10 minutes ago, Max-fossils said:

Alright size is not a problem then. 

Still not 100% convinced of the hinge.

 

It's a weird shell, because the hinge is really Veneridae-like as @MikeR said, but the sculpture is so much more like the astartes! :headscratch:

It has some similarities with Venus verrucosa. It's a great find, I wished I could find those too.

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Family hinge examples on Pliocene shells

 

 SEMELIDAE STOLICZKA, 1870 (1825)

 

Hinge example

 

Abra sp.

 

 

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MACTRIDAE LAMARCK, 1809

 

Hinge examples

 

Mactra sp.

 

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Spisula sp.

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