Tiny Unknown Devonian

[minnbuckeye]

@Peat Burns, This one is for you. I am staking my reputation (which doesn't mean a lot) on you to be able to ID this Paulding, Ohio unknown. Your info on  species of Paulding mounds has been very helpful to me so far. Collected in early January.

[Tidgy's Dad]

Interesting.

It's a little solitary rugose 'horn' coral I think. 

[Misha]

I agree with rugose coral.

[Rockwood]

39 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

little

Or a little piece from the center of a larger one.

[thelivingdead531]

I thought of a rugose coral when I saw it, too.

[Peat Burns]

Hi Mike,

 

I agree with the others that this is a solitary rugose coral.  I have sectioned a number of them from that site.  It's hard to say from photos (and the specimen was heavily eroded prior to fossilization), but I think it would end up being either Stereolasma bethae or Heterophrentis simplex.

[minnbuckeye]

Obviously rugosa is likely here but do "baby" rugosa corals look any different than adults? I have tried to see examples of youthful Devonian corals, but can find no examples.This specimen doesn't look like a normal horn coral. It is definitely columnar to begin with before flowering out at the top. Anyways, Thanks for all of the help!!! I will just have to bow my head and accept it as just a lowly horn coral.

 

Mike

[Peat Burns]

54 minutes ago, minnbuckeye said:

do "baby" rugosa corals look any different than adults?

Only a little bit.  It's all in the internal anatomy, beginning with the cardinal fossa and extending to the presence / absence and nature of the dissepiments, characteristics of the septa, etc.  Basically, reliable identification requires thin sections or acetate peels.

 

58 minutes ago, minnbuckeye said:

bow my head and accept it as just a lowly horn coral.

WHAT?!?  I love horn corals!  Save all the ones you find and give them to me!

[Rockwood]

7 hours ago, Peat Burns said:

WHAT?!?  I love horn corals!

Common maybe, lowly never. 

[minnbuckeye]

Actually, corals do intrigue me too, in spite of what I said above. My collection is quite large,This little rugosa has been bagged and labeled and definitely NOT going to the local park's sand pit. @Peat Burns, if it is something that could fit your collection, let me know.

[Tidgy's Dad]

13 hours ago, Peat Burns said:

Only a little bit.  It's all in the internal anatomy, beginning with the cardinal fossa and extending to the presence / absence and nature of the dissepiments, characteristics of the septa, etc.  Basically, reliable identification requires thin sections or acetate peels.

 

WHAT?!?  I love horn corals!  Save all the ones you find and give them to me!

No! 

Send them to me, Mike! 

Oh, you already have.