Possible Ordovician worm?

[TNGray]

I found this in the layers well above the trilobite bed at the Beecher's Bed Quarry in NY. It appears to be a segmented worm. I welcome opinions. Its about 5 cm long and 2 mm wide. The photos of the ends are taken through a microscope.

[Fossildude19]

Certainly looks worm-like to me.

[fossilized6s]

Very interesting. Given the soft bodied preservation at Beechers it's definitely possible. I'm interested to see if we can get this solved. 

[abyssunder]

Possible Ordovician worm? ... or maybe alga?

[Auspex]

7 minutes ago, abyssunder said:

Possible Ordovician worm? ... or maybe alga?

Graptolite??

[fossilized6s]

Seeing a lot of Ordovician Acorn worm fossils on Google. Even one from Beechers. 

 

Are there any distinctive segments near either end?

 

Am i crazy for seeing this?

 

[abyssunder]

support for my thinking

 

comparative picture from here

[Herb]

very cool fossil, maybe a worm

[Dan 1000]

I also think worm. Does not look like a graptolite

[izak_]

Nice find!

But not a graptolite, doesn't have theca.  

[Rockwood]

10 hours ago, Auspex said:

Graptolite??

I wouldn't dismiss this so easily. The openings could be on the reverse side, and colonies commonly have a distinct structure on one end.

[GeschWhat]

Very COOL! It could also be a coprolite from a segmented worm.

[Ludwigia]

I'd say that Abyssunder has a very good point with the algae theory.

[TNGray]

Doing a little research on the known Ordovician worm physiology, the algae proposition seems a likely answer.  I see no chaetes or bristles. 

[piranha]

Mastigograptus laevis

 

The essential features of this species would then be, so far as known at present: Rhabdosome of large size, of flexuous appearance, the slender stems uniformly thick for great distances (about 0.8 mm thick); the branching monopodial or lateral, apparently rather infrequent.  Main stipes bear large apertures, reaching the width of the stipe and circular to transverse elongate in outline; irregularly arranged, about 10 in 10 mm.  HORIZON AND LOCALITY: In the Frankfort shale at Six Mile creek and below the Delta dam near Rome, Oneida Co.; and near Holland Patent; in the Deer river shale at Mill creek, Turin, N.Y. , and Whetstone gulf near Martinsburg, N.Y.  It has not been observed in the true Utica shale at Holland Patent.

 

text and figures from:

 

Ruedemann, R. 1925

The Utica and Lorraine Formations of New York: Part II: Systematic Paleontology.
New York State Museum Bulletin, 262:1-171   LINK

 

[Rockwood]